Reaching for Indigo!
by JohtoBlue
Summary: Come and follow Azul on his journey throughout the Kanto region. Read as he goes through life and death situations throughout his journey. Not only that but a bit of romance is following him ready to strike. Elements from the games, anime, and manga!
1. Azul's First Pokémon!

**Reaching for Indigo**

Chapter One

"Charizard, use your Fire Blast!" Azul, a boy of ten, commanded. He wore his favorite hat to bring him luck on the day of the Pokémon League tournament finals. His opponent was none other than his childhood rival, Verde.

Charizard's mouth gaped and he belched flames. They bellowed out of his throat endlessly, engulfing Verde's plushy, pink Jigglypuff. When the flames subsided, the referee who stood watch over the battle raised a flag towards Azul, signaling that the fight was over and he had come out victorious.

Azul's joyous and somewhat maniacal laughter echoed throughout the stadium. He had accomplished his goal of becoming a Pokémon Champion. As his laughter grew, the ground began to shake.

His eyes flew open and he screeched as he saw his mom's face looming over him, her arms roughly shaking him awake.

"Did you have a nice dream? I almost didn't want to wake you because you were laughing so loud!" Azul's mother, Brooke Claywood, a young woman in her early thirties with the same dark brown hair and blue eyes as Azul asked as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes.

"Mreow, mreow!" Fluffy, the family's Meowth hopped onto Azul's bed, rubbing her face against Azul's upper leg. He absentmindedly reached over to scratch the cat Pokémon behind her ears.

"It's time to get up and go to Professor Oak's lab and get your Charmander," Brooke patted Azul gently on the back. Azul didn't budge; he continued to look around in a daze. His mom spoke once more. "I made you French toast…"

"I'm up!" Azul cried, darting out of bed and down the stairs to the kitchen, his shaggy hair a mess and his blue Starmie-print pajamas rumpled. Fluffy was violently tossed from the bed to the floor, and she hissed in annoyance towards Azul. He didn't notice; his French toast was waiting.

Downstairs he began to eat his French toast while his mom walked slowly down stairs to meet him in the kitchen. She held a grey t-shirt that had dark blue sleeves and a dark blue underbelly, a pair of grey pants that, also like the shirt, turned dark blue near the bottom. These were the clothes that Azul had picked out for his journey; his favorite colors, blue and grey, were also his lucky colors.

"I figured it'd be nice of me to prepare your clothes so then you're not late to Professor Oak's lab. I want my little boy's day to go perfectly," she told him while pinching his cheek.

He winced at the pain and knocked her hand away casually. With a fork with French toast drowned in syrup on the end in his mouth, he pulled off his pajama top and pulled his new shirt over. He quickly finished his French toast. It was getting so close, his journey to become a Pokémon Master.

"Please leave your pajama bottoms on in the kitchen and finish changing in your room. I'll go ahead and get your backpack ready for you while you do that," his mother kissed Azul on the top of his head. She pointed upstairs not wanting Azul to be bottomless in the kitchen. She pulled out his light blue backpack out from a nearby closet; it was still brand new with all the tags on it.

Azul dashed upstairs, his pants in hands. It wasn't long before he was completely changed and heading downstairs where his mom waited with his backpack and favorite hat. Azul grabbed his grey hat with dark blue lining on it and put it on his head backwards, hair poking through.

Brooke put his backpack on him and pushed him near the door, "You call me as soon as you get to Viridian City!"

Azul smiled before kneeling down and scratching Fluffy once more behind the ear, "I'll keep you as updated as possible. Take care of Fluffy, and Fluffy, you take care of my mom!" He then turned and gave his mother a thumbs up before walking out the door and continuing out into the sidewalk. _Finally I get to start my journey, finally I get to show up all those jerks from trainer school._

"Yo, Azul!" Verde called from out the front door of his house, which was next to Azul's. The blue-capped boy hesitated before turning and waiting for Verde to catch up to him. Verde was dressed in the clothes his mom picked for his journey, a cropped green jacket over a grey t-shirt with matching green pants and a black backpack that strapped around his waist. His brown hair stuck out in front of his green eyes.

"What do you want, Verde?" Azul asked, his voice shook in fear and irritation as the two began to walk side by side to Oak's lab.

"You know who is going to get that Charmander today, right?" Verde softly nudged his elbow into Azul's side, knocking Azul's small frame to the side.

"Uh, I am?" Azul replied, sounding very unsure of himself. "You're not taking anything else I want away from me, Verde."

"Well I'll tell you what. If you can beat me in a race to the lab, I'll let you have Charmander," Verde proposed, stopping in front of a tree on the corner of the street. "This tree will be our starting line, and the front door of the lab is the finish line."

"Alright, I accept your challenge," Azul agreed, lining himself up with Verde and the tree's tall trunk. He knew he was a faster runner than Verde so this would be a breeze.

"Go!" Verde shouted at random and before Azul could comprehend what had happened, Verde had shot down the street. Once Azul realized that the race had started he dashed off for the lab. It wasn't long before Azul caught up but with a price to pay− all the extra running had begun to wear him out.

"Can your girly figure keep up? That backpack looks heavy!" Verde taunted before sticking out his leg and tripping Azul onto the hard concrete. With cat-like reflexes, Azul managed to grab hold of Verde's leg the instant he fell.

"You cheated!" Azul screamed at Verde. Verde always got what he wanted no matter how hard Azul worked, but he refused to let go of his opportunity to receive a Charmander.

"If I cheated, then why did I fall too?" Verde snapped back. "I think that YOU cheated!"

Azul picked himself off the ground and wiped off the dirt that now coated his new clothes. "Can't we just play rock-paper-scissors or something to decide who gets Charmander?"

"I'm not going to play your sissy games," Verde told him with a frown. He then lifted his hands into a fighting pose. Azul may be faster and smarter than Verde, but when it came to strength, Azul could be overpowered by an Igglybuff.

"W-what are you doing?" Azul questioned before taking a step back. He was trapped in between Verde and a few trash cans up against a wall; there was no escape.

Verde grinned, "We're going to play a man's game!" He then threw a punch towards Azul's face and the boy fell back into the trash cans. It wasn't long before everything went black and Azul was unconscious.

"Hello? H-hello?" A voice called off into the distance. Everything was still black, but this one voice could be heard and Azul could feel someone pulling at his arms. "Are you okay little girl?"

Azul's eyes slowly opened and he looked upon a brown-haired girl who was no older than him. She wore brown shorts and a bright yellow shirt. She had a dark red bag but what was most noticeable was her big straw hat that shaded the sun out of her brown eyes.

"Are… are you talking to me?" Azul questioned, feeling at the red mark on his cheek.

The girl squealed and stepped back, "I'm so sorry; I thought you were a little girl! You have… soft skin…"

Azul looked around, still in a daze, "What time is it? Do you know? I can't be late… or else-" He then stopped himself, he knew he was late. Verde most likely received the Charmander.

The girl looked at her bare wrists, "I don't have a watch or anything but last time I checked… I'm late to an engagement. From the sounds of it you're late to whatever it is you're doing. I can help you get there if you'd like?" She extended her hand and Azul grabbed it; he was back on his feet but still extremely dizzy.

"I have to get to Professor Oak's lab," Azul explained, he fell over but the girl caught him and held him up.

She smiled, "Well, I guess that we're both late for our new Pokémon. I'm guessing that you're one of the new classmates?"

Azul looked at her and blinked to get some of the blurriness out of his vision, "Yeah, I guess I am. Are you one of them? I've never seen you before."

"I'm not from here, but Professor Oak has known me all my life. He added me to your class so instead of three members there are now four," She explained to him while walking slowly to the laboratory.

"I think I remember hearing something along the lines of that. My name is Azul Claywood, thanks for helping me out," Azul told her with a smile, but deep inside he was crying at the loss of Charmander.

"I'm Jaune; it's nice to meet you, Azul. I'm glad I can help," Jaune smiled, returning his smile. "We should really get going, though. Professor Oak is probably angry we're not there yet!"

Azul nodded and they both continued down the path towards Oak's laboratory.

"So, what exactly happened to you? Sleeping in a pile of trash cans isn't my idea of beauty sleep," Jaune questioned. Azul couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

"I-I got into a fight over the Charmander. Verde, my neighbor, and I raced for it and then Verde tripped me. I suggested rock-paper-scissors, but before I knew it, he punched me in the face and everything went black," Azul explained, he could see Professor Oak's lab from a top a hill.

Jaune sighed then laughed, "You stupid boys and your games. I probably could have taken him, why couldn't you?"

Azul would have answered the question but before he could his eyes focused on the lab. With every step he was getting closer, closer to his journey. The two walked through the gates of the laboratory and made their way to the door. Azul pulled his arm from Jaune and knocked on the door. There was no reply; maybe Azul wouldn't receive his Pokémon today?

"Do you think he left for something?" Azul asked; in the back of his head he really hoped that Professor Oak was just using the restroom.

Jaune shook her head, "He should be here! Why would he leave on such a special day? I suggest that we just go in," she then reached for the doorknob and opened the door. The door swung open and a long hallway revealed itself. "You see, he probably couldn't hear us because he's most likely all the way down this hallway," Jaune told Azul. Either she was smart or acted like she was, Azul couldn't tell.

They continued into the laboratory and walked down the hallway. They could hear faint noises from a room that was at the end of the hallway, it was almost confirmed that Oak was still there. They pushed the door open and a blonde girl wearing a red shirt, tight spandex shorts and a one-strap backpack emerged. She held a tiny, light-blue Pokémon in her hands that had a huge smile on its face.

"Azul, it's about time!" The girl screamed, her eyes' natural eye color was covered with red contacts, and they locked onto Azul. "What took you so long? Verde said that you decided to take a nap. I already got my Squirtle! Take a look at it!" She then held up her Squirtle into the air. It grinned then turned and bit the top of Rouge's head.

"What is your Squirtle doing?" Jaune questioned in astonishment. "Doesn't that hurt?"

Rouge blushed, "I'm pretty sure that is how my Squirtle shows affection. I'm okay with it biting on my head as long as it doesn't hurt me. I'm nicknaming it Champion or Champ for short!"

"That's great!" Azul cried with joy, he then noticed Professor Oak giving both him and Jaune a great big smile. _Oh no! I'm way too late, I bet that he is really angry_, he thought, worrying.

"I'm glad that you both could make it. If you'd like to pick out your Pokémon now, that'd be fantastic," He told both Jaune and Azul, his smile never ceasing.

Both of the new trainers made their way to the Professor. Both had great big smiles and were ready to receive their first Pokémon.

Professor Oak picked up two Poké Balls from a small table and pressed the buttons in the middle of them. They both opened and two Pokémon materialized in front of Azul and Jaune. One was tiny and yellow. It had two red circles on its cheeks and two brown stripes on its back. The other Pokémon was a small, green quadruped Pokémon with a dark, green bulb on its back.

"As you can see, I only have a Pikachu and a Bulbasaur left. You two may decide amongst yourself who wants what, I'd prefer that you two do not fight over one," he then motioned to the tiny Pikachu, "I'd like to tell you that this little Pikachu was the runt of its litter and is still very small. It has been like that ever since it was born as a Pichu."

"Pichibu!" It cried out happily, Jaune's eyes lit up with happiness whenever she saw this Pokémon.

"Azul if you don't mind I'd like to have this little Pikachu! It is just so adorable!" She squealed.

"Isn't it supposed to say 'Pikachu'?" Azul squinted his eyes at the miniature Pokémon.

"But that's just another factor in its cuteness!" Jaune picked up the Pikachu and it snuggled up to her.

Azul sighed and shrugged, "I already lost a Charmander today; you can have the… runt Pikachu." He then looked at Bulbasaur who seemed a bit more mature than either the Pikachu or Squirtle.

Jaune kneeled down and the Pikachu crawled up her arm and onto her shoulder, "Thank you, Azul! I'm going to name it…" She then thought for a little bit but nothing came to mind.

"Pi-Pichibu!" Pikachu cried out happily; its sized didn't affect its happy attitude.

"I'm going to name it Chiboo! Thank you for the idea Chiboo," Jaune told her Pokémon while petting the back of its head. Chiboo grinned and squealed with happiness.

"So, I guess that leaves you with Bulbasaur. This Bulbasaur has been here for four years. No one has wanted to take it just yet with both Squirtle and Charmander being more popular," Professor Oak explained.

Azul stared at Bulbasaur, "So… nobody wanted to be your friend?" He then thought about how when he was growing up, he had no real friends. If anybody was a friend, it would have been Rouge, whom he has always had a crush on. _It's no Charmander, but I can't leave the little guy alone. Maybe I'll eventually capture a Charmander…_ he thought.

"Bulba?" The Bulbasaur questioned, it didn't know if Azul would take it or not because of his silence.

"We're going to be great friends," Azul told Bulbasaur with a smile, even though in the back of his head he still craved a Charmander.

"If you'd like to know… this Bulbasaur is a female. She's a great Pokémon and has been loyal to me this whole time. I do hope that you treat her well," Professor Oak told him before handing over her Poké Ball. "Would you like to follow your friends and give Bulbasaur a nickname?"

Azul grabbed the Poké Ball and wiped away a tear before anybody could notice. "I'll go ahead and name her… Cherry! Is that okay with you, Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur gave Azul a smile before nudging him with her face, "Bulba-Bulbasaur!"

Professor Oak took a few steps backwards before turning and grabbing two small, rectangular objects, one red and the other yellow. He handed the yellow object to Jaune and the red one to Azul. "These will be your Pokédexes. They will help you out on your journey. You can make quick phone calls from them, look up Pokémon information on them, and other things that I'm sure you'll find out for yourself."

"I got a green one," Rouge told Azul and Jaune while pulling out the green Pokédex from backpack. "I know that Verde got a blue one before he left, we all have different colors!" She still had Squirtle hanging from the top of her head.

"Speaking of Verde, if you three don't get going soon, he'll get way ahead of you. I suggest that you all make your way to Viridian City next," Professor Oak reminded them.

It wasn't long before the trainers collected their things from Professor Oak and were out of the lab. Their journey would start soon.

"Hey! Azul, would you like to have a battle with me? I'd like to test out Champ's battling ability against your Bulbasaur. I think that would give me and you an edge against Verde," Rouge asked, staring up to Azul after a few minutes of walking from Professor's Lab. Azul blushed as he gazed into her big eyes and he could hear Jaune tapping her foot impatiently.

"Um…" Azul started but couldn't finish, he had studied about Charmander, so he knew nothing about Bulbasaur. He looked down at Cherry and gave her a sad look. "I don't know how to battle with Cherry… I don't know any of her moves."

Rouge batted her finger towards the naïve Azul, "That's why you use your Pokédex! It'll teach you everything you need know about Cherry. All the technical stuff of course. Plus, I think that Cherry wants to battle." She pointed towards Cherry who was nudging its face into Azul's shin.

"I-I guess that we can battle," He pulled out his Pokédex and opened it up.

"Hello, I am Dexter. This module is registered to trainer 'Azul Claywood'." The small red electronic book informed Azul.

Jaune giggled at the puzzled Azul, "Now if you motion your Pokédex towards Bulbasaur it will give you all of its information." She then opened her Pokédex up and motioned it towards Champ.

"Squirtle the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Nicknamed Champion. Level is 7 and known moves are Tackle, Tail Whip, and Bubble." The Pokédex informed her in its robotic voice.

Azul stared at her Pokédex then motioned his Pokédex towards his Bulbasaur, "Bulbasaur the Seed Pokémon. Nicknamed Cherry. Level is 9 and known moves are Tackle, Growl, Leech Seed, and Vine Whip."

"I thought that if it were older then it, it would know more moves," Azul wondered aloud. "Weren't you with Oak for four years before today?"

Bulbasaur nodded and then looked down; she was sad that its trainer thought she wasn't as strong as she should be. "Bulba…"

"You have to remember that Cherry was only with Professor Oak. There is no way that we could guess how much actual experience she got," Jaune explained. She didn't want to see Cherry get sad or downed by her own trainer.

Rouge kneeled down and placed her hand on Cherry's head, "How about that battle, Cherry?"

"Bulba…" Cherry growled and nodded her head "yes" to answer.

"Well, you heard her Azul! It's time to battle!" Rouge dramatically pointed towards Azul as Champ took his place in front of Cherry, grinning cockily.


	2. Azul's First Battle!

Chapter Two

"Champ, use your Bubble!" Rouge ordered, her hand dramatically slicing the air while she gave her command.

The tiny turtle Pokémon smiled and opened up his mouth, releasing a plethora of shining light-blue bubbles towards Azul's Bulbasaur. The bubbles struck, each popping on contact and left a stinging pain.

Azul stared in amazement at the sight of his very first Pokémon battle. It was yet to occur to him that he was supposed to respond with a counter attack.

"Azul, what are you doing? Cherry is only getting hurt while you do nothing!" Jaune screamed, trying to let Azul know that he was in an actual battle.

Azul shook his head, snapping out of his mesmerized state. "Oh yeah. Cherry, try your Growl attack." He ordered, pointing back at Champ who had a cocky look on his face. Cherry shook off the damage from the Bubble attack and put her teeth together, roaring a deep growl. Champ retreated its Bubble attack and a startled look appeared on the tiny-turtle Pokémon's face.

"That would've been a good call if Rouge was using more physical attacks, but attacks like Bubble are special attacks and growl only lowers the power of physical attacks, Azul," Jaune explained while going through the Pokédex and looking up information on the attacks each trainer was using.

"Um… then what should I do?" Azul questioned while taking a look at his Pokédex. "I think we'll go ahead and use your Leech Seed or… yeah just do your Leech See." Azul's tone was very apathetic; he didn't know what to do with his new Pokémon or even if he wanted to train it.

Cherry frowned at him before lowering her head and pointing the bulb on her back towards. A red seed grew quickly out of the tip of the bulb and was shot at Champion.

"Deflect that with your Bubble!" Rouge ordered; her attitude towards the battle had a clear difference than Azul's. As children this was different though. Azul and Verde were always studying on how to battle while Rouge was too busy trying to think of ways to pretty up her Pokémon. The battling side of Rouge took Azul by slight surprise.

Before the Leech Seed could reach Champion, he released bubbles from his mouth, some connecting with Cherry's attack and stopping it completely with others continuing on towards Cherry. The bubbles pounded against Cherry's face once more while Azul watched, not knowing how to continue. Soon the Bubble attack stopped and both Pokémon stood strong, Cherry clearly looked a bit weaker than Champ but stood her ground.

"How can you keep letting your Pokémon get hurt like that? Why don't you try to actually battle?" Jaune lectured Azul. She was clearly upset with his lack of actions but he didn't know what to do.

"If I had a Charmander then I think that this day would've gone a lot smoother. Instead I got stuck with a Bulbasaur," Azul mumbled but it was clear that Cherry could hear his hurtful words.

Cherry growled once more, this time not as an attack but as a warning. She then lunged towards Champion at full speed, prepared to throw her weight at him. It wasn't long before Cherry connected with Champion and Champion was forced to fall back towards Rouge.

Azul's eyes widened at the determination of his Pokémon and a smile grew on his face. "Well, I guess if you want to battle I can't exactly deny you that. Maybe we can try…" He then looked down at his Pokédex and concluded that Cherry had performed her Tackle attack.

Champion struggled a little bit on his back but eventually rolled into a standing pose, ready to fight and defeat Cherry at any cost. The Tackle attack had seemed to do more damage than the two Bubble attacks combined. When it came to strength and type, Cherry had the advantage but Rouge had the determination factor in her corner.

"Nonetheless I think we'll try something new. Champion, use your Tackle attack!" Rouge ordered, confidence filling her tone as she took control of the battle once more; it appeared as though she had done her research about her Squirtle and how to use it effectively. Champ took a crouching position and darted for Bulbasaur, ready to throw all of his weight into his opponent.

Azul looked down at his Pokédex to get a quick glimpse of Cherry's attacks. "Oh, that one can work! Cherry use your Vine Whip and drive Champ away!" Cherry shifted her body a little bit before releasing a vine from the bulb on her back. The vine whipped against Champion's head while he ran and drove Rouge's Pokémon into the ground. Champion lay in the ground hurt but still able to continue the fight.

"No, Champ!" Rouge screamed; she didn't have a follow-up for any attacks that Azul might threw back at her. "Get back up and continue your Tackle attack!" Champ squirmed a little bit before standing back up and continuing its attack on Cherry.

"Let's go ahead and use your Tackle attack to fight back," Azul ordered. It was clear that he was gaining confidence about Pokémon battling. Azul had researched and did everything he could to learn about Charmander; not once did he think he would receive a Bulbasaur. He didn't know how comfortable he was with his Pokémon just yet but with the battle continuing he could feel a connection growing.

"Bulbasaur!" Cherry cried out before starting a run for Champ. Both Pokémon clashed their bodies together and were flung back towards their trainers. Squirtle breathing heavily with noticeably hardly any energy remaining and Cherry not as tired but clear physical stress from the battle kicking in.

"So, it looks like you've finally woken up eh, Azul?" Rouge said with a smirk. "This is the Azul that I've grown to know!" There was now a fire that burned in her now that Azul finally decided to battle.

"I-I," Azul stammered but smiled at Cherry. "I'm going to battle my hardest now! Cherry, use your Leech Seed once more!" Cherry then lowered her head again and another pink seed emerged to be blasted towards Squirtle.

"If you're going to use that old trick again then so-be-it; we'll just use our same defense as before! Champ, block it with your Bubble!" Rouge ordered; there was no way she was going to go down easily. Champion lifted his head with his mouth wide open and a stream of bubbles was released, seemingly readying a defense.

Azul grinned, "I don't think so; we've readied ourselves now! Cherry, destroy those bubbles with your Vine Whip!" Vines quickly raced out of Cherry's back and towards the bubbles, each whipping at and destroy them completely. In no time the Leech Seed landed on the front of Champ's shell and roots began to grow out of it. Champion was soon entangled in vines that made it impossible for him to move.

"No!" Rouge yelped knowing that the end drew near. "What are you doing to my Champion?" Her face was now red with frustration.

"Leech Seed will suck the energy from your Pokémon while it battles and see that your Squirtle is a water-type, I think that Azul has this one played out well," Jaune explained while fiddling around with her Pokédex. Whether or not she actually knew this or just found it in the Pokédex was unknown.

Azul watched as Squirtle tried to stand but fell from exhaustion; the battle was over.

"Cherry!" Azul rushed to his Pokémon's side. Even if Bulbasaur wasn't the Pokémon he had wanted, he was worried for his new companion's well being. "You were great! I'm very sorry…"

"Bulba, Bulbasaur," Cherry croaked, smiling at Azul and nuzzling her nose into his palm that stroked her head gently.

"Champ!" Rouge sobbed, running to her Squirtle's side, picking him up gently, cradling him in her arms. "Azul, I can't believe you beat me." She pulled the vines from her Pokémon gently, ensuring that she wouldn't do anymore damage. "You get your rest…" A red stream from the Poké Ball that Rouge held emerged and Champion was absorbed.

"I can't believe I beat you either! But I couldn't have done it without Cherry," Azul helped his Bulbasaur to her feet. "She was just awesome."

Rouge gave Azul a big smile as she watched him look at his Pokémon with loving eyes. "You're such a girl sometimes, Azul."

Azul stood and smiled, "Thanks for that awesome battle Rouge. I guess that I really needed it. I think that under more evaluation: Cherry will be an awesome partner."

"That's good that you decided that," Jaune told Azul with a smile. She patted his back and shook him a little, her Pikachu following. "Now we can all get off on our journeys!"

"Before we do, would you guys like me to show you some stuff for the Pokédex?" Rouge questioned before pulling her green Pokédex out. "Professor Oak taught me a few things before you two showed up."

"I'd like to learn a few things before I start. Technology is a bit baffling to me… I don't get a lot," Jaune explained with a sigh. She was still looking through her Pokédex, trying to figure it out.

"Chibu?" Jaune's Pokémon questioned looking over her shoulder at the yellow Pokédex. The Pokémon's small frame rested on her shoulder easily.

"Alright, well the most interesting thing that I found out is that if you are near the other Pokédex holders of your class, then an alarm will go off to alert you. If you, Azul, Verde, and myself are all in the same area, then it will let us know. We can then find each other and hang out or something," Rouge explained.

Azul sighed, "That'd be fun to know so we could all get together but I really don't want to be around Verde anytime soon." He then felt at his cheek which was still sore from his "fight" earlier that morning.

Rouge giggled then stoked her blonde hair and moved it to behind her hears, "Another feature, and this is the only other one that I was able to learn other than the last one, is whenever you have a full party of Pokémon, when you capture another you can simply press the button that is under your screen and it'll send a Pokémon that you select to Professor Oak."

"What about a party?" Azul questioned with his dumbfound look. When it came to knowledge about battling, Azul knew what he was doing but everything else he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Jaune laughed then punched him in the arm, "Even I know that one, Azul! A full party is a total of six Pokémon. Because of Pokémon League rules, you can't have over six Pokémon with you. If you exceed this amount then you must send one to your local Professor."

"But then will I be able to bond with all of my Pokémon if I can only have six?" Azul asked with a sad tone in his voice. "Sending your Pokémon away like that is mean…"

"It's the Pokémon Trainer way, Azul silly! That's all I can tell you… I'm going to be on my way now," Rouge told them before turning but stopping herself and reaching into her bag. "I forgot, these are both of yours. Professor Oak gave me them to give to you if I were to run into either one of you." She handed each of the new trainers a fold piece of paper that Azul took and gave it a blank stare.

"Homework?" Azul questioned, whether or not he was joking was beyond them.

"No, it's a map, silly," Jaune teased while unfolding it and taking a closer look at it. "You should utilize your problem solving skills!"

"Wow, I wish you could help me out like this all the time," Azul muttered, examining the map. His eyes lit up, an idea forming in his head. "Hey! You should come with me on my journey!"

Jaune blushed. "Do you… Do you really mean it?"

"Of course! It'd be much easier to travel in a pair. Our Pokémon would have more friends because they'd be around both of us, and we can always help each other out," Azul started reasoning aloud. "So will you come with me?"

"Yes! I will!" Jaune said, nodding her head vigorously.

"Chibu!" Chiboo cried happily, agreeing with Jaune's decision.

"Awesome!" Azul replied, holding up his hand for a high-five which Jaune returned.

"Aw , isn't that sweet! You got a travel buddy!" Rouge cooed.

"Would you like to come with us?" Azul asked Rouge. Now it was his turn to blush.

"Nah," Rouge said simply before turning to walk off.

"Oh. Okay. Bye, then, Rouge," Azul mumbled sadly.

"Bulba," Cherry nudged Azul's leg in an attempt to comfort Azul.

It wasn't long before the blonde girl with the red outfit was gone and both of our trainers stood silent.

"We don't need her!" Jaune huffed, poking Azul's arm. "We'll do just fine on our own!"

"I guess you're right," Azul sighed, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. "Let's do this!"

**A/N So we updated every single one of our stories today and even added in a Halloween Special for our first story because today is Heather's actual birthday (she turns 17). If you have time you should all go through and read those stories for us! Love you all, peace!**


	3. A Great Day for Lessons!

Chapter Three

"So, where exactly do we make our first move? Both Verde and Rouge went north, should we follow?" Azul asked while taking a look around his surroundings, not finding anything that would tell him he was going in the right direction.

Jaune grabbed ahold of her knapsack and pulled out a paper map of the Kanto Region. "We could either follow their precedent and go north towards Viridian or we could take a ferry to Cinnabar Island. I personally suggest going north, but that's just because I'm familiar with Viridian."

"Yeah, sure we'll go ahead and follow their 'precedent,'" Azul repeated. He clearly knew nothing of the word "precedent." In the back of his mind, he had doubts about traveling with Jaune. She appeared to be too smart for him to keep up with.

"Pichibu-chib!" Jaune's small yellow Pokémon commented with a joyful smile.

"I think that Chiboo feels that going north is a fantastic idea. Before we leave, is there anything that you'd like to do? Any errands or anything?" Jaune inquired. She picked up her Pikachu and placed the tiny Pokémon atop of her head.

Azul shook his head, "Nope! I'm all prepared to leave and get started on our journey! Anything that you need to do?"

"I think I've covered everything I need to. We now can stop this incessant chatter and move on." Jaune folded her map up and placed it neatly back into her knapsack. She adjusted her straw hat and started to walk towards the exit of Pallet Town and the entrance of Route 1.

_Incessant?_ Azul mentally groaned, trying to figure out Jaune's big words.

Both trainers stayed quiet for a bit. Jaune was too busy playing with her Pikachu to talk and Azul was extremely distracted by everything around him. Taking in the new environment was a hidden thrill to him.

"So, how long have you lived in Pallet Town, Azul?" Jaune spoke suddenly, trying to break the silence. After playing with Chiboo for awhile she had gotten bored and the silence was killing her.

Azul acted as though he had to think on it but he really didn't have to. Maybe if he acted like he gave deeper thought to things, then maybe he'd seem smarter. "I have lived in Pallet all my life. I've never really got away from Pallet so this is pretty new to me."

"Never been out of your hometown, huh? I'm the total opposite. Whenever I got a chance to leave, I did. I tried to gain as much experience as possible! That way, once this day came, I'd have a head start," Jaune explained. She smiled and cuddled Chiboo to her chest. "I can't believe that it all has come so soon."

"Where are you from by the way? I'd like to know how far we can get before we're lost," Azul joked.

Jaune put her hands together and sighed, "Well, to be honest I'm from Viridian so after that…"

"We're going to get lost aren't we?" Azul stopped and stared back towards Pallet Town. The farther that they walked from the town, the more he wanted to go back.

"If you want to go back, you can. I won't stop you," Jaune teased.

"Well, we've got a map, right?" Azul tried to grin, even though the thought of being lost scared him silly.

"Yeah, and soon we'll have plenty of Pokémon pals to keep us company if that happens," Jaune nudged Azul, getting him to continue walking.

"I don't even know how to catch a Pokémon…" Azul sighed. "I don't even have Poké Balls." He looked down in shame. He knew he wasn't exactly helping with anything on the journey. Jaune was the one with the brains and skill so far.

Jaune saw Azul's sad face and gave him a pat on the back, "So, what exactly have you prepared for? It's okay to say that you haven't. A lot of trainers leave their homes without any preparation."

"I prepared for Charmander… that is the only thing I put a lot of thought into, so I guess that I haven't prepared for anything," Azul explained. His eyes never wavered away from the ground.

Jaune only smiled, "Well, being the nice person that I am, I'll help you as much as I can." She reached into her knapsack and pulled out five little red and white balls and handed them to Azul. "You can start off with these! I have a few extra Poké Balls so you can use these ones."

Azul grabbed them and smiled but his smile soon faded, "Thanks but…"

"It's no trouble, Azul. You can have them, I have no problem with that," Jaune explained. "I have plenty!"

"It isn't that… I just don't even know how to capture a Pokémon. I'm sorry," He said while putting all but one Poké Ball into his bag.

Jaune sighed, "You can't be serious? Almost everyone knows how to capture a Pokémon!"

Azul just stared at her. He was serious and he really had no clue how to capture a Pokémon.

"Fine! I'll teach you, but you owe me one!" She snapped while taking a quick look around. "Step one is to find a Pokémon. It isn't really fair to look for a certain Pokémon because any of them can be great."

"Like getting Cherry instead of Verde's Charmander," Azul nodded. "That's one thing that I've learned already. I'm not going to pick and choose my Pokémon anymore!"

Jaune smiled, "Good! Now, right over there is a Pidgey." She pointed over into the distance at a bird Pokémon that was pecking at the ground. "From what I've heard, Pidgey are great Pokémon for beginning trainers. I'm going to capture that one to give you a little bit of demonstration."

Both trainers approached slowly until they were a good distance from Pidgey. Azul pulled out his Pokédex and scanned Pidgey to get any information that he could. "Pidgey the Tiny Bird Pokémon. A common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. Level is 5 and known moves are Tackle and Sand Attack."

"That's a good idea!" Jaune complimented before pulling out her yellow Pokédex and scanning her runt Pikachu.

"Pikachu the Mouse Pokémon. Nicknamed Chiboo. Level is 5 and known moves are Growl, Thundershock, and Tail Whip." The Pokédex read in its male robotic voice.

Jaune nodded, "Thank you Dexter!" She then put back her Pokédex into her pocket and placed Chiboo onto the ground. "Chiboo, it is about time that we make our first Pokémon buddy! Are you ready?"

"Chibu, Pichibu!" The small Pokémon responded with a smile.

"Step two: fight the Pokémon and try to weaken it. Chiboo, use your Thundershock!" Jaune said. Chiboo dashed out in front of Pidgey to attack.

Once Pidgey caught sight of the Pikachu, it turned the other way around to ignore the Pokémon. This angered Chiboo; she shot her sparks from her cheeks at Pidgey. The shocks connected directly and the Pidgey fell.

"Step three is to capture the Pokémon in the Poké Ball, right?" Azul questioned. He was anxious to see his first Pokémon capture.

Jaune shook her head, "It isn't time to do step three yet. I'm pretty sure that the Pidgey won't go down without a fight first."

She was right. Pidgey stood back up slowly and kicked dirt at Chiboo. The dirt didn't do much except annoy and temporarily blind the Pikachu. Once Pidgey saw an opening, it struck. Pidgey lunged at full force and tackled down Chiboo.

"I know you can't really see right now, but I need you to use your Tail Whip!" Jaune told Chiboo while Pidgey was trying to scamper away from the battle. Chiboo covered her eyes and began to shake her tail. Pidgey caught sight of this and was instantly hypnotized.

Azul sighed, "That is by far the dumbest attack I've ever heard of…"

"But it's working!" Jaune argued; she redirected Azul's attention towards the battle.

Pidgey was slowly inching towards Chiboo's tail, distracting it into lowering its defenses.

Once Pidgey was only a few inches away, Jaune took her chance. "Now use Thundershock one more time!" Chiboo blindly, but quickly, released sparks from her body that went directly into the wild Pidgey. Pidgey once more fell to the ground, but this time, it was unable to continue fighting.

"Now do you do step three?" Azul questioned, his anxiety only continued to grow.

Jaune nodded and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Step three is to finally capture the Pokémon. The wait that you must endure will be worth it once you have your new friend!" She then threw the Poké Ball and it connected directly with the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey was absorbed into the ball and a soft _ding_ followed immediately.

"Is there a step four, or is that it?" Azul asked, puzzled. "I mean, it 'dinged.' Is that good?"

Jaune walked over to grab her ball off the ground. She picked up the ball and Chiboo jumped onto her shoulder. "There's no step four. That's all it really takes to capture a Pokémon."

Azul gave her a funny look, "That is all it really takes to capture a Pokémon? I thought that there would be a more complex way to do it…"

"How did you think it happened?" Jaune asked with a cocky smile on her face.

Azul had no answer; he just smiled and squatted down to pet Chiboo. "We should get a move on now. I'm not really wanting camp out."

"Then we'll go stay at the Viridian City Pokémon Center. All we have to do is keep going the way we have been," Jaune replied. She pressed the button on her Poké Ball to make it smaller before putting it into her pocket. "We have to get this little Pidgey to the center so it can get some rest."

With that, both trainers continued their journey to Viridian City. Azul had many questions for Jaune, but he didn't want to throw them all at her at once. He felt that if he asked too many he'd look stupid. Instead of asking questions, he tried to make small talk about his favorite foods and stuff like that.

"You sure do like yourself cheese pizza," Jaune laughed. She didn't really care. She just didn't want to hurt Azul's feelings since he seemed like the type that was easily hurt.

Azul nodded, "I'm just not that big of a meat eater, ya know? Every time we order pizza, I always have to get cheese and only cheese!"

Before Azul could say another word, Jaune pointed at something. Azul turned and noticed that they had finally reached Viridian City. The whole time that he was talking about food, he didn't notice that they were entering Viridian from a bridge.

"The Pokémon Center is a straight walk from here. We should be there within a few minutes," Jaune explained before Azul could even ask. It was getting dark out and both trainers were growing tired. The Pokémon Center seemed like a needed stepping stone for the both of them.

In little time, they were on the steps of the Pokémon Center. They walked in, and Azul took a quick look around while Jaune approached the woman at the desk.

To Azul, the Pokémon Center was one of the coolest things he had ever seen. The ceiling was so high up that he felt like he was in the biggest building ever. On the right side of the building was a long row of computers and telephones to make phone calls. At the back of the room were big, white doors with a light above them that was in the shape of a syringe. Behind the counter was a big stone picture of three giant birds and what looked like a dog.

Jaune turned and frowned, "You comin'?" She enjoyed his company, but the fact that he got distracted so easily was only drove her crazy.

Azul ran over to the counter and caught sight of the nurse. She wore a traditional pink and white nurse outfit topped off with a nurse's cap. Her hair was curly and pink. The sight of her made Azul's stomach feel light."H-hello…" He mumbled before hiding his face.

"This is Nurse Joy. If you ever have a problem with your Pokémon, she should be able to help. It would be wise for you to get Cherry checked on," Jaune explained to Azul. She then handed over Chiboo's and Pidgey's Poké Balls. "Can you go ahead and give them a check up for me?"

"Of course I can," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "Is there anything that I can do for you, Azul?"

Azul shot up, "How do you know my name?" He was scared and flattered at the same time. "Am I already getting popular?"

Jaune punched him in the shoulder, "Calm down! I told her your name while you were ogling at the ceiling."

"Oh…" Azul said in embarrassment. He grabbed at Cherry's Poké Ball and handed it over. "Go ahead and give my Bulbasaur a check up, please."

"No problem! Is there anything else I could do for you? Are you wanting to stay in a room here?" She asked while she placed the Poké Balls down into a small rack.

Jaune nodded and Nurse Joy handed over a room key. "You just take the hallway down there, and your room is the last one on the right."

Jaune grabbed the room key and motioned for Azul to follow. She then began her walk towards the hallway.

Azul stood at the counter and gave Jaune a dumb look, "We have to share a room?" He rubbed the back of his head and blushed, "Y-you're a girl…"

"If it bothers you, I can give you separate rooms," Nurse Joy suggested.

Azul shook his head then ran over to Jaune, "I don't want to take away anymore rooms from you! Goodnight!"

Jaune and Azul made their way down the hallway and eventually into their room for the night. There were two bunk beds on each side of the room.

"Since there are only two of us, we can each sleep in a different bunk bed. Ya know, since you're all uncomfortable and whatnot," Jaune told Azul. She put her bag on one of the bottom bunks along with her straw hat and laid next to it. "Goodnight, Azul."

"You're not going to sleep in your pajamas?" Azul asked while looking around for a bathroom. "That is odd…"

Jaune frowned at him, "I don't want to get changed in front of you! Pervert!"

"No no!" Azul argued. "I just think that it would be uncomfortable to sleep in… not pajamas. I can step outside of the room if you want to change. Just tell me once you're ready." He then walked out of the room and sighed. "I'm not a pervert…"

In little time, Jaune let Azul back in the room and they switched so he could get changed. Soon, both trainers were back in the room and lying in their respective beds.

"Hey… Jaune…" Azul whispered. "You still awake?"

You could hear Jaune sigh, "Yeah… we've only been lying down for a minute. What do you want?"

"Thanks for letting me come along… I'm very thankful that I have you," Azul said quietly. He pulled his blankets up to his shoulders and closed his eyes.

Jaune rolled over and faced the walls. "It's no problem… the more people and Pokémon we have with us… the better…" She then blushed before closing her eyes once more, this time to fall asleep.

**A/N We are extremely sorry for this very late update. Trying to make this story really good does take time but we hope to upload alot faster the next few times. We will be accepting OC's in a bit. If you'd like to send in an OC then go for it. Just don't send in OC's that will tell us how to run our story. Thank you and review and what not! **

_**Much Love... JohtoBlue**_


	4. Azul's First Gym? Nope

Chapter Four

"Good morning, Azul!" Jaune called to Azul while she shook his bed. She stood at the foot of his bed and had a teasing smile on her face. She was already dressed and prepared for the day.

Azul opened up one eye and frowned, "What do you want? I was having a wonderful dream." He pulled the blankets over his face to hide any of the beckoning light.

"Dreams can wait. We have to get a move on if we want to get to Pewter City anytime soon," Jaune explained. She picked up his backpack from the ground and threw it at him. "A great trainer gets up early. Let's get goin'!"

Azul sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes. "Do we have to keep moving? Isn't there like a gym here or something?" He reached into his bag and pulled out his traveling clothes. "I'd like to give the gym a try."

Jaune turned towards the wall so Azul could change, "You want to take on the Viridian City gym? That's pretty brave of you. How do you know about the gym challenge?"

"I'm not that stupid! Everyone knows about the gym challenge. You win at least eight badges then you can enter the Indigo League," Azul explained while quickly changing. "I'd like to win my first badge very soon!" He grabbed ahold of his bag and cleared his throat to signal that he was done changing.

Jaune turned and frowned, "The Viridian Gym is one of the hardest gyms throughout the Kanto region. Do you really want to give it a try? I could be a mood killer."

"I can do anything as long as I have Cherry with me!" Azul said. "Now, let's get going!"

Jaune didn't do anything. She just stood there and stared at him.

"Shouldn't we get going?" Azul questioned.

Jaune sighed. "Where is Cherry's Poké Ball?" She pointed towards Azul's belt.

Azul began to panic. He frantically looked through all his pockets to find the Poké Ball but it was nowhere to be found. "Someone must have stolen it!"

"That's just an ego defense. Remember, you left it with Nurse Joy?" Jaune told him. A goofy smile formed on her face.

"I-I knew that!" Azul yelled. He ran down the hallway to meet up with Nurse Joy.

"You two are up early," Nurse Joy told Azul. Jaune turned the corner, her smile still there.

Azul raised his finger, "Well, a great trainer wakes up early so they can get a great start on their day!"

Jaune slightly punched him in the shoulder. "Do you have to use my words to charm the nurse?" She asked in a whispered tone.

Nurse Joy giggled then stood up and walked into some sliding doors and disappeared for awhile.

"W-why did she just leave like that?" Azul questioned. "I'd like to get my Pokémon back!"

Jaune rolled her eyes, "She's going to get them!"

Azul stepped back and hung his head, "Oh…"

In little time, Nurse Joy came back from the room holding two Poké Balls. "Both Pokémon checked out just fine. They are an odd pair though…"

"What do you mean?" Azul asked. "I think that Cherry is just perfect."

Nurse Joy laughed, "It is just odd that Cherry is an aged Pokémon while Jaune's Chiboo is very small for a Pikachu."

Jaune and Azul looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess that is odd," Jaune laughed.

"It's been great getting to know you both. I do hope that you two are safe on your journey," Nurse Joy told them.

Azul grinned, "Well, if you really want us to stay… We can!"

Jaune punched him again, "We have to get going!"

Both trainers then left the Pokémon Center and followed Jaune's map, north, towards the Viridian Gym.

"I'm warning you, Azul. You'd have a better chance training your Pokémon a little bit more before doing this," Jaune explained while they approached the gym doors. Two guards dressed up in Roman outfits stood out the door and watched over the two trainers.

Azul grinned, "I can do this!" He then reached out to open up the doors but the guards immediately stood in front of him.

"Before you go in, you must know something− only one trainer is allowed inside at a time. Both of you cannot go in!" They informed him with angry expressions on their faces.

Azul stepped back a step, a worried expression on his face. "Uh…"

Jaune pushed his back lightly, "Go… You said you wanted to take on the gym."

Azul quickly changed his facial expression back to confident and pushed the gym doors open. He took only a few steps in and the doors closed on him before the dark room lit up and revealed that he was standing on a battlefield already.

"So, you've come to challenge my gym?" A muscular man asked. He was hidden in shadows a top of a balcony towards the back of the gym.

Azul smiled and nodded, "Yes! My name is Azul from Pallet Town and I'm here to challenge and defeat your gym!"

The man stroked what looked like a bigger version of Azul's mom's Meowth, Fluffy. "Is this your first gym challenge?"

"Um… Yes. Yes it is," Azul said. He slowly grabbed his Poké Ball, ready to throw it into battle.

The man shook his head slowly. "This would be an unfair battle. I have a high reputation of defeating almost every single challenger that steps foot into the gym. I've defeated trainers looking for their eighth gym badge. To battle you would be unfair."

"What do you mean? Are you refusing my challenge?" Azul asked. He felt anger and fear at the same time. "You're a gym leader! You're supposed to accept my challenge, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, Azul of Pallet Town, but no. I don't have to accept any and all challenges. I accept challenges of worthy opponents. To battle you would be a waste of time for the both of us," the man told Azul.

Azul glared at him. "Who are you too say that I'm not strong enough!" He clenched his fist that wasn't holding onto his Poké Ball, "I promise you that I wouldn't be a waste of time!"

The man didn't say anything. He just sat down and waited for Azul to continue.

"One day! One day I'll be back and I'll defeat you! I refuse to be a loser at your gym," Azul yelled at him before turning to pull onto the gym doors.

"I will wait for that day, Azul from Pallet Town," the man said before Azul walked out the doors.

"Wow, that was fast!" Jaune said with a smile. "How did it go?"

Azul clenched his fists, "He said that I can't challenge him because I don't look strong enough…"

"Aw, I'm sorry, Azul. Next time…" Jaune told Azul. She reached out her hand to pat Azul but he moved her hand away from him.

"Don't touch me!" He screamed. He glared at Jaune then ran off of the entrance of the gym. He darted for the Pokémon Center but instead of stopping, he only continued down a path that led him into tall grass. He stopped in the tall grass and took a look around. He was lost.

"I shouldn't have done that… Now I'm lonely," Azul told himself. He continued to look around and found that very far away was a mountain with what looked like buildings at the top.

"The Indigo Plateau," Azul mumbled aloud. "You just wait for me!" His yell echoed throughout the land and wind blew, rustling the trees and grass that surrounded him. He turned to try to go back and find Jaune but was tackled down by something.

"Ouch!" Azul cried out after he hit the ground. "What was that?" He looked around and locked eyes with a horned, small purple Pokémon. He stood up slowly and pulled out his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.

"Nidoran, male, The Poison Pin Pokémon. It stiffens its ears to sense danger. The larger its horns, the more powerful its secreted venom. Level is 8 and known moves are Leer, Peck, and Focus Energy." The Pokédex read. Azul tucked it back into his pocket and pulled out Cherry's Poké Ball.

"Easy… I don't want either one of us to get hurt," Azul told Nidoran. "I'm sorry if I invaded your turf."

"Nido!" The small Pokémon cried. It was clear that it wanted to battle.

Azul frowned, "If you want to battle then we will! C'mon out, Cherry!" He threw his Poké Ball as hard as he could into the air and it burst open. Cherry revealed herself, prepared to battle.

"Bulba!" She growled. She pawed at the ground and readied herself to charge.

Nidoran started a quick charge for Bulbasaur but Azul was ready for any of its attacks.

"It's using Peck! Throw it back with your Vine Whip!" Azul ordered. Two vines raced from the bulb on Cherry's back and grabbed ahold of Nidoran. They flung the small Pokémon into the air but Nidoran shifted and tried to dive from the sky to attack.

Nidoran's small horn lit up a white-ish tint and he slammed into Cherry. A small dust cloud formed and Nidoran retreated from it. It lowered its horn to do another attack.

Azul frowned, "Cherry! You can do it! Use your Tackle attack!" Cherry picked herself up from the heavy damage and lunged her whole body at Nidoran. She connected and Nidoran fell back.

Nidoran immediately tried to counter attack by jumping into the air and kicking Cherry twice with his hind legs. Cherry was flung through the air and she landed in front of Azul.

Azul kneeled down so he could talk to Cherry, "Hey buddy… Are you still wanting to continue?"

"Bulba… Bulbasaur," Cherry mumbled. She stood back up and growled at Nidoran.

"That's the spirit!" Azul cheered. He then grabbed ahold of his Pokédex to once more scan Nidoran. "I don't think that Dexter told me about that last move."

"Nidoran, now level 9. Newly learned move: Double Kick," Dexter read.

Azul nodded, "Now we have something new to watch out for. Go ahead and use your Leech Seed!"

Cherry lowered her head and a seed appeared from the bulb. The seed shot from her bulb and flew for Nidoran. It connected a top of Nidoran's head. Vines sprouted from the seed and engulfed Nidoran.

"Nido!" The wild Pokémon cried while energy was being absorbed.

"Now, finish this one off with Vine Whip!" Azul called. Bulbasaur, once more, released wicked vines from her sides. He vines smacked against Nidoran and sent him into the air. Nidoran landed with a hard thud on the ground and was unable to continue.

"Yeah! Now I can capture you!" Azul cheered, pulling out an empty ball. "Poké Ball, go!"

The ball hit Nidoran softly, causing the ball to open. A light engulfed the Pokémon and the ball then swallowed the light. The Poké Ball only shook once before it let out a _ding _and Azul had caught his first Pokémon.

"Cherry, we did it!" Azul screamed happily. "We caught our first Pokémon!" He danced around a little bit out of joy.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" Cherry smiled, rubbing her head into Azul's leg. He bent down to pet her.

"Aw, what a sweet moment," a sarcastic voice said from behind Azul. Azul turned around quickly and behind him was none other than Verde.

"What do you want, Verde?" Azul asked. Cherry glared at her trainer's rival.

"I just saw you catch a Pokémon. What level is it?" Verde asked, smirking.

"Why does it matter? Any Pokémon can be great," Azul growled, quoting Jaune. He bent over and picked up his Poké Ball that held Nidoran.

"You're probably just scared that they're weaker than mine. They're on levels eleven and ten," Verde smirked.

"Well that Nidoran I caught is on level nine," Azul mumbled. "And Cherry is around level ten, I think. But they could beat yours any day!"

"Well if that's what you think, why don't we just prove it with a battle?" Verde was still smirking as he grabbed a Poké Ball.

"I will battle you, and I'll prove my Pokémon are just as strong as yours, and that levels don't always matter!"

**A/N Look at that! We updated and it didn't take two months! Before anyone makes the comment, yes I understand that we used numbers and then eventually wrote them out. That is breaking one of my rules but I'm willing to do that if having Dexter say "Level 8" rather than "Level eight" adds character. It adds the more robotic tone to the little supercomputer! Next chapter we get to see Azul and Verde duke it out! Will Azul be able to get revenge from that blow to the face from Chapter One?**


	5. The First Rival Battle

Chapter Five

"C'mon out, Nidoran!" Verde called. He tossed the Poké Ball up into the air and it burst open with a bright white flash, revealing a similar Pokémon to what Azul caught, only blue and with a smaller horn.

"That's odd," Azul said, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Nidoran, female, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Although small, its poisonous barbs render this Pokémon dangerous. The female has smaller horns. Level is 10 and known moves are Growl, Scratch, Tail Whip and Double Kick," the Pokédex read aloud in its dull monotone.

Azul tucked it back into his pocket and retrieved a Poké Ball from his pocket.

"I really have no choice but to fight back with my own Nidoran," Azul announced, holding Nidoran's Poké Ball in an outstretched hand. He drew his arm back and threw his newly captured Pokémon's Poké Ball into the air and with the same flash of white light, appeared where Azul had thrown the ball. The ball boomeranged back into Azul's hand and he caught it with relative difficulty, nearly dropping the ball.

"Nido!" Nidoran cried out. Still hurting from the battle with Cherry, Nidoran flinched in pain. He looked back at Azul and frowned.

"Hi, Nidoran! I'm Azul!" Azul said with a friendly smile. "I was wondering if you'd like to battle with me against Verde?"

Nidoran turned and pawed his foot at the ground, signaling to Verde he would battle for him.

Verde laughed maliciously and Azul winced, fearing he had embarrassed himself in front of the one person who taunted him most.

"That's the first sign that you're a weak trainer! Your asking to see if your Pokémon wants to battle? You have to command their respect, not ask for it!" Verde sneered.

"Shut up! I'm no bully like you!" Azul yelled back, regaining confidence as his temper flared. "We'll start! Use your Double Kick, Nidoran!"

Nidoran jumped into the air and readied his legs to kick hard.

"Dodge then use your Scratch attack!" Verde called quickly as though he had already predicted Azul's moves. The female Nidoran jumped out of the way of the male Nidoran's attack. She then darted and hacked at Azul's Nidoran. The pink Nidoran fell back but stood back up as quickly as he could.

"It looks like we're faster! Now use _your_ better and stronger Double Kick!" Verde grinned.

Verde's Nidoran mimicked Azul's by jumping into the air and readying her feet.

"Nidoran, Leer now!" Azul called desperately.

Nidoran's eyes turned red, causing Verde's Nidoran to stop in mid-air and flinch.

"It worked! Now use your Focus Energy!" Azul smiled. Nidoran smashed its two front legs into the ground and it began to glow a red color.

"We have to get him before he can attack again! Nidoran, use your Scratch once more!" Verde snapped

Nidoran jumped into the air and attempted to scratch one more time.

"Counter with your Peck!" Azul was ready to counter this time.

Azul's Nidoran ran at Verde's. The blue Nidoran swept her arm fiercely at the pink one, but he dodged and jabbed into the female's stomach. Verde's Nidoran flew into the air.

"Perfect! Use the momentum from the air to strengthen your Double Kick!" Verde ordered.

Nidoran twisted her body so she could easily stomp onto Azul's unsuspecting Pokémon.

Azul couldn't react in time. He simply watched as Verde's Pokémon came crashing into his own. A small dirt cloud was formed and both Nidoran disappeared within it. Whenever the dirt cloud dissipated, both Nidoran stood, but weakly.

"One more Peck, buddy!" Azul cheered.

"I don't think so! Scratch, now!" Verde scowled at Azul.

Both Pokémon attempted to move but only crashed into one another. They both fell to the ground and signaled that they were through.

"Looks like this one is a draw," Verde snapped. He raised his Poké Ball and returned Nidoran, shouting to her, "Next time, you have to do better!"

"You gave it your best shot… We'll work on it," Azul mimicked Verde by returning his own Nidoran. Glaring at Verde, he tucked Nidoran's Poké Ball away. "Do you still want to continue our battle?"

"I refuse to ever lose nor tie with you! Let's finish this," Verde announced. Verde grabbed his next Poké Ball and grinned mischievously.

"Charger, let's go!" Verde called, throwing his Poké Ball into the air, a small, red lizard with a flame on his tail appearing. Charmander sniffed the air and screwed up his face in sneeze. A small flame burst from his nose, searing the ground.

Azul chest felt like a empty void at the sight of the Charmander. His whole childhood, all he ever wanted was a Charmander. He wanted to raise one into a Charizard and rise to the top of the league with it. Seeing Verde with the Pokémon that he had obsessed over for as long as he could remember drained the fight out of him. Azul halfheartedly lifted his Pokédex to scan Charmander.

"Charmander, The Lizard Pokémon. Nicknamed Charger. Even the newborns have flaming tails. Unfamiliar with fire, babies are said to accidentally burn themselves. The flame on its tail shows the strength of its life force. If it is weak, the flame also burns weakly. Level is 12 and known moves are Scratch, Growl, Ember and Smokescreen."

Azul's hand shook from anger and sadness. He wanted to grab the Charmander and take it away from Verde. Charmander should have been his. He quickly came to his senses as his own Pokémon popped into his mind. _Charger is at a higher level than Cherry! This could be bad!_

"Here he is—the Pokémon that you wanted. It's a good thing I got him, though. Charger is such a great Pokémon. Giving him to someone like you would've been a waste," Verde gloated, his eyes twinkling with spiteful pride.

"I'm going to win this battle no matter what it takes!" Azul screamed. His temper had risen again with Verde's every word. He looked down to Cherry, who was standing obediently by his side. "Go get 'em, Cherry!"

"Bulba!" She cried out happily, bounding out into the battle zone.

"This is going to be your second battle of the day, but I have confidence in you. Do you think you can do it?" Azul asked. He would push his Pokémon as far as he could to beat Verde.

"There you go again asking your Pokémon permission to battle. What a weakling!" Verde scoffed. "A real trainer demands total control of their Pokémon."

"I'm sick of you! Ever since we were little kids you've acted like this! You've always acted like you were at the top!" Azul roared. Tears were pooling in his eyes, but he didn't let them spill. "But in the end, it'll be me that's on top!"

"If you're not careful, I'll make you eat those words," Verde warned, grinning.

"Cherry, use Vine Whip!" Azul commanded. He tried to ignore Verde, but he couldn't.

The Bulbasaur let two smooth vines fly from each side of the big bulb on her back. The vines raced for Charger.

"Use your Scratch attack!" Verde said. He tucked both hands in his pockets, trying to act cool and calm.

Charger hacked away at the vines. Both vines quickly retreated and Cherry shrieked in pain.

Azul shifted back in astonishment. _This isn't good! He _can't_ beat me!_

"Use Tackle, now!" Azul called out as a desperate attempt. Cherry bounded down the small field for Charger.

Verde chuckled, "Use Growl." Charger braced itself and opened his mouth to let out a loud growling noise. Cherry flinched for a second but continued to charge. Cherry tackled the mid-section of Charger, but both stood their ground, pushing against one another.

"Close-ranged Ember!" Verde ordered. Cherry's drive to win scared him. He didn't to lose to Azul just as much as Azul didn't want to lose to him.

Charger lifted his head and released small bits of flames from it. The flames smacked Cherry in the face, causing her to take several steps back.

"Now, Scratch!" Verde ordered, not even giving Azul a chance to attack this time.

Charger brought up his claw and performed an uppercut variation of the Scratch attack. Cherry flew into the air and landed in front of Azul.

"Is it already over?" Verde spat, laughing at Azul.

"Cherry!" Azul cried out.

"Bulba…" She replied. She stood back up slowly and growled at Charger, "Bulbasaur!"

"Use Scratch one more time!" Verde called out. Charger ran for Cherry, his claws ready to scratch away.

"Vine Whip!" Azul screamed urgently. Cherry weakly released the vines from her sides. One vine tripped Charger, causing him to fall onto his back. The other vine smacked into the ground, letting Cherry jump into the air.

"What the—" Verde gasped.

Azul grinned. "Here's our chance. Use a diving Tackle!" Cherry tucked in her head and dove for Charger.

"Ember!" Verde said frantically. Charger opened his mouth and released a burst of small flames from his mouth. The flames pelted against Cherry lightly, making the damage that Charger took from the diving tackle weaker. A cloud of smoke emerged from the collision.

Cherry jumped back from the smoke; Charger followed.

"How is Cherry doing that? You'd think that a Charmander's Ember would easily damage a Bulbasaur," Verde noted aloud.

"Use Leech Seed!" Azul ordered quickly.

Cherry mustered up her remaining strength and a small seed appeared at the tip of her bulb. She knelt down and prepared to fire it away. The instant that Cherry made the movement to fire the seed, Verde had his counter attack ready.

"Charger, Smokescreen now!"

The seed flew from Cherry's back, but Charger release a cloud of black smoke from his mouth and nostrils, making everyone blind to what was going on. Verde and Azul lost complete sight of both the Pokémon. Whenever the smoke cleared, both Pokémon stood in the middle of the field, pushing against each other.

"You can do it!" Azul cheered.

"Don't you dare let that Bulbasaur beat you!" Verde ordered.

_They're both completely out of energy. The only thing that they have left to fight with is their bodies and their will to fight. I know that Cherry can do this,_ Azul thought.

Cherry rammed Charger in the stomach with her hard head and sent the Pokémon into the air slightly. Before Charge could fly too far, he hacked at the top of Cherry's head with his claws.

"Finish it!" Both trainers called out desperately.

"Stop this match now!" A voice called out.

Everyone stopped and turned towards the voice. It was Jaune. She ran into the battle and grabbed ahold of Cherry.

"Do you know what you're doing to your Pokémon? Is this just some kind of game to you?" She screeched, coddling the injured Bulbasaur.

"How dare you interrupt our match! Who are you to interfere in our battle?" Verde was glaring at her.

"Do you know what it really means to be a trainer? It isn't just pitting two Pokémon against each other in battle. It's growing with your Pokémon and knowing their limits. Clearly, both Pokémon have reached their limits," Jaune lectured.

"I—" Azul's heart ached as he looked at Cherry, lying in Jaune's arms and breathing heavily. He was unable to think of any excuse that could make this alright.

"You can't let emotions of anger get in the way of your common sense. What if you would've pushed Cherry too far?" Jaune scolded.

A red beam appeared and absorbed the worn out Charger, pulling Azul and Jaune eyes away from each other and Cherry and onto Verde.

"We'll settle this some other time," Verde announced. He turned and walked away. "Next time, we won't have any interference."

"Are you okay, girl?" Jaune asked, petting Cherry's head gently.

"Bulba…" Cherry cooed weakly.

"I—I'm sorry," Azul said quietly. He fell to his knees and sobbed. He punched the ground. "He always gets to me! I shouldn't have pushed you so hard…"

"I know that you're upset, but your crying won't help things. We need to get Cherry checked out. We have to go back to the Pokémon Center," Jaune demanded. Azul looked up, still on the ground, and she glared at him. "Pick yourself up!"

Azul stood straight up and the two ran back to the Pokémon Center. Jaune held onto Cherry while her tiny Pikachu, Chiboo, rode on her shoulder.

Azul watched over Cherry carefully, not wanting to make anymore mistakes. He wanted to ask Jaune if he could hold onto his Pokémon, but he was afraid of upsetting her more. They ran into the Pokémon Center and Nurse Joy looked like she was already prepared to take care of his Pokémon.

"Did you have a rough time at the gym?" Nurse Joy asked. She grabbed ahold of Cherry and put her on a small stretcher.

Azul shook his head, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill again.

"No. He didn't accept my challenge. This came from a different battle with a different trainer," Azul sniffed, wiping furiously at his eyes.

"How could you have let your Bulbasaur end up this way? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Nurse Joy frowned.

"That's not all. My Nidoran also took a beating too. I'm sorry, Nurse Joy," Azul whispered, pulling out his new Pokémon's Poké Ball and holding it out to her. Nurse Joy snatched the ball away from him.

"You need to be more careful! What if Cherry is too injured to battle again? What would you do then?" Nurse Joy asked furiously.

"Please! Please just take care of my Pokémon. I understand that I messed up. They won't get any better if you lecture me right now!" Azul snapped. Tears fell freely from his eyes.

Nurse Joy nodded and gave Nidoran's Poké Ball to her assistant Pokémon, Chansey. The duo ran into the back and the light above the intensive care room doors lit up a bright red.

"Azul, I'm sorry… I should've run after you before you got too far," Jaune patted Azul on the back.

Azul knocked her hand away and embraced her. He held her tightly and cried into her shoulder, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you like I did! I'm just really scared!"

"This is the first time that you've ever been away from home. I understand the stress that could be driving you. But the thing is, you're not alone. You have me here to help you," Jaune replied. She hugged him back. "I wanted to go on this journey with you because… I'm scared too."

"I'm really sorry, Jaune," Azul said earnestly, wiping his wet face and smiling at Jaune.

"Next time, take me with you. I want to support you and help you through this. Everyone needs somebody. So, let's have this journey together, as friends!" Jaune replied.

Azul smiled even bigger. He was crying again, this time from a mixture of happy and sad tears. He had always been alone in Pallet Town. Yes, he had Verde and Rouge, but that was it. Verde had always bullied Azul and Rouge had never thought Azul was cool enough to be friends with. There were a few other kids their age too, but none that ever wanted to support Azul. Jaune, however, was the greatest friend that he could have met. He smiled because he finally had someone who wasn't going to push him around. He smiled because he knew that he wasn't going to travel around. He smiled because now, he truly had a best friend.

**A/N Weird to update this story, right? Sorry it's been so long. We've been trying to figure this story out for awhile now and it's taken a lot of time. Be looking out around August for another story that we'll be working on. Also, if you guys would like to, Azul and Verde will be featured in PokeStets23 story Drake Smith's Pokemon Journey: Kanto. It's an awesome story, so go and read! **

**Much love, JohtofrigginBlue**


	6. Going Through the Viridian Forest!

Azul slept in the lobby of the Pokémon Center on one of the many pink, plush sofas. In the middle of the night, Jaune had placed a thin blanket over him before returning to her own room.

Azul couldn't wait to hear about Cherry and Nidoran's health. He thought long and hard about what it meant to be a trainer and decided that he would work as hard as he could with his Pokémon.

The sun was rising, casting a pretty, orange-pink hue over the town when the light above the intensive care room doors dimmed. Nurse Joy walked out of the room, holding onto two Poké Balls. She nudged Azul gently on the shoulder to wake him up.

"Azul, it's time to wake up," she called quietly, trying not to scare the boy.

Azul twitched and suddenly jolted up. His hair stuck out at odder angles than usual, his eyes were still red from crying, and his clothes were completely crumpled. Panicking, his eyes searched for who had called his name. When they fell on Nurse Joy, his eyes filled with a worried look.

"How are they? Are they going to be okay?" He gasped desperately. Azul had more questions, but she smiled at him, immediately reassuring him.

"They only took on minor injuries, but there is no injury that a little exercise won't fix," she told him with her smile.

She handed out both of the Poké Balls. Azul took both and looked at them closely. He pressed the buttons on the Poké Balls, and they popped open. Cherry the Bulbasaur and Nidoran emerged. They both stretched and smiled at the sight of Azul.

Azul let a few tears flow from his eyes. He grabbed ahold of both Pokémon and held them tightly.

"I'm sorry I pushed you guys so hard! I promise that I'll never do it again!"

"You really do love your Pokémon, don't you?" Nurse Joy asked.

Azul nodded. "Ever since I was little, I've wanted to go on this journey, but I never thought that training Pokémon would be so emotional."

Jaune walked down the hallway and met with the two. Her miniature Pikachu was perched on her shoulder. She was holding onto both Azul's bag and her own. She dropped them on the ground and smiled at the sight of Azul holding onto his Pokémon.

"It's good to see that they're doing fine," Jaune told them.

She pulled out a map and looked at it. "So, since you're not going to get a battle here, would you like to go to Pewter City next?"

"Oh, that's a good idea! Pewter City is a pretty good place to earn your first gym badge. Many trainers do," Nurse Joy explained.

Azul clenched his fists at the thought of the gym leader he came across the day before. He released his tension though and smiled at his Pokémon.

"Would you two like to challenge the Pewter City gym with me?" He asked.

"Bulba!" Cherry cried out happily.

Nidoran nodded his head in agreement.

"Then, I guess it's settled! We'll take on the Pewter Gym!" Azul announced.

"It's good to see you in a better mood," Jaune said with a smile. "To get to Pewter, we have to go through Viridian Forest. I've heard some bad rumors about that place, so we have to be careful."

Azul stood up, his Pokémon still in his arms, and smiled.

"Let's do this!" He said with a goofy grin. "I have the utmost faith in my Pokémon. Viridian Forest won't know what hit it!"

Jaune secretly smiled as Azul said the word "utmost." She believed she was finally having some influence on him.

The duo quickly cleaned up and left the Pokémon Center. They walked along Route 2 which would take them to Viridian Forest. This route was much smaller than the previous one. Azul and Jaune arrived at the Viridian Forest entrance in less than twenty minutes.

"So, are you sure that you're ready to go in there?" Jaune asked.

Checking to make sure that his Poké Balls were securely attached around his belt, Azul nodded. If any danger were to approach him, he wanted to be ready. Azul didn't want Jaune protecting him. He wanted to be a man.

They walked into the forest and came across a sign.

"Follow the path if you don't want to get lost," Jaune read.

"That's pretty straightforward," Azul chuckled. He looked up into the air and noticed that he could still see the sky. "As long as it doesn't get dark, we should be safe, even if we stray a little."

"Or, we could just stay on the route like the creepy sign says," Jaune said sternly. "I'm not getting lost because you decided to take a detour or a shortcut!"

Chiboo crawled around Jaune's body and tucked itself inside her bag to hide from anything that might be lurking in Viridian Forest. It shivered at the thought of being attacked by a giant bug or bird.

Both of the trainers made their way down the path, looking around cautiously every so often. The haunting squawks of Pidgey and Spearow echoed throughout the dense trees. There were swarms of crawling, buzzing, bug-type Pokémon around every corner as well. Azul wasn't exactly comfortable with bug Pokémon. He tried to keep calm thoughts; if he freaked out, Jaune could make fun of him. He didn't want that.

Jaune stopped and pointed at a tree, her eyes wide in astonishment. "Check that out, Azul!"

Azul looked at the tree Jaune was pointing at and noticed many green objects clinging to the branches. As Azul drew closer to the tree, he realized they were resting Pokémon. They had no legs; their body was just a cocoon of some sort. Azul grabbed his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Metapod, the Cocoon Pokémon. This Pokémon is vulnerable to attack while its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body," the Pokédex announced.

"The Pokédex forgot to mention one thing. Metapod rest until they evolve into a beautiful Pokémon. They'll usually rest like this in groups until they evolve whenever the moon is bright," Jaune explained, a dreamy expression on her face.

"Really? That sounds awesome!" Azul exclaimed. There were so many mysteries in the world that puzzled him. He wondered if it would be unnerving or magnificent to watch these Pokémon evolve.

The two stared at the tree for a few more moments, observing the Metapod, before they continued down the path. They walked slowly, still wary of the forest, but eventually they started to admire the tall trees and chirping birds until a loud screeching noise stopped them. Azul and Jaune frantically looked around themselves until they noticed a boy running at them. The boy wore light green shorts, a white wife beater, and held onto a gigantic butterfly net.

"Run!" The boy screeched. He ran past the trainers and down a nearby hill until he disappeared from sight.

"That can't be good," Azul's face paled. His feet were frozen to the path in fear.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to look at what Jaune was pointing at. A group of Pokémon made their way towards them. They were birds, and angry ones at that.

Azul lifted his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. He was shaking uncontrollably.

"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It eats bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speeds to stay airborne," the Pokédex read aloud. Azul pushed a button on the Pokédex to receive more data. "To protect its territory, it flies around ceaselessly, making high-pitched cries."

"Run!" Jaune screamed.

She grabbed ahold of Azul and pulled him away before a Spearow could slash at his face. The two sprinted down the path, no longer afraid of their surroundings, just the angry flock of Spearow chasing them.

"We could always try to shift this burden on to someone else if we see them!" Azul suggested, panting heavily. "When that boy ran past us, the Spearow started chasing us instead of him!"

"Azul! We can't do that!" Jaune screamed. The Spearow were catching up to them.

Azul ducked and avoided another Spearow from clawing at him.

"Then what do _you_ suggest? I'm sure your idea will be far better than mine!" Azul screamed sarcastically.

Before Jaune could answer him, a Spearow dived and grabbed at Azul's belt. It snatched a Poké Ball from it and flew away.

"Nidoran!" Azul screamed. He forgot his fear for himself and began to chase after the Spearow, off the path and into the forest.

"Azul, no!" Jaune called. She followed him, disregarding the path as well.

Azul ran down a hill, chasing after the Spearow. He refused to let the Spearow get out of sight. Azul may have not been with Nidoran for very long, but he wasn't going to lose him. Especially not like this. The Spearow dove suddenly, and Azul tripped over a small rock. He tumbled down the hill and eventually smacked into a tree, stopping him completely. A few of the Spearow stopped and began to peck and slash at Azul.

"Chiboo, Thundershock!" Jaune ordered.

Chiboo jumped from Jaune's bag and let loose a wicked amount of electricity. The electricity caused a few of the Spearow to be frightened and turn tail. Some stayed, only slightly damaged by the attack.

Azul staggered but stood back up. Even though the Pokémon were attacking him, he did not make an attack at them, not wanting to hurt the birds. Blood trickled down his face and arms from the scratches and through the rips in his shirt and pants. He glared at the Spearow that held his Poké Ball, holding up his Pokédex. The Pokédex scanned the single Spearow.

"Level is 12 and known moves are Peck, Growl, Leer, and Fury Attack," it said aloud.

"Spearow!" The Spearow called out, as though challenging Azul to a battle. The other Spearow moved away, hearing this call. Azul realized that this Spearow must be the leader.

"C'mon out, Cherry!" Azul called while he threw his only Poké Ball into the air. Cherry emerged and got ready to battle.

"I know you may still be a little hurt from yesterday's battle, but I know you can do this!" Azul cheered, wiping blood off his forehead before it dripped into his eyes. Cherry nodded. "Alright, use your Vine Whip!"

Cherry let loose the two vines from her sides. The vines wrapped around one of Spearow's legs and threw it into the air. This didn't go according to plan though. Spearow caught itself, midair, and dove for Cherry.

"That's a Peck attack!" Jaune warned.

"Dodge it!" Azul ordered quickly.

Seconds before Spearow could reach the Bulbasaur, Cherry jumped into the air, and Spearow crashed into the ground. The Spearow around the group began to stir slightly, as though they wouldn't allow their leader to lose. They squawked and squealed at the pair, flapping their wings, causing feathers to fly.

"Try your Tackle attack!" Azul said.

Cherry bounded towards Spearow, but Spearow was too fast. It shot into the air and began to claw ferociously at Cherry. The Bulbasaur fell back and had to retreat to avoid the Spearow's claws. The sidelined Spearow cheered.

"Leech Seed!" Azul called out. He was determined to get his Pokémon back.

Cherry crouched down, aiming at the Spearow, and let loose a small seed from her bulb. The seed connected with Spearow's left wings, and small vines began to spread around its whole body, sucking power from the bird.

Some of the onlooking Spearow couldn't take it. They took off for Azul's blind spot, ready to do some damage.

"Azul!" Jaune cried out, warning her friend of the attack..

Chiboo jumped into the air and let loose a wicked electric current around her body. It zapped the Spearow that tried to attack Azul and made them retreat.

This time, Spearow flew to attack Jaune. She grabbed her Poké Ball and threw it into the air. Her newly acquired Pidgey was revealed.

"Use Gust to blow them back!" Jaune ordered quickly.

Pidgey flapped its wings hard, causing the Spearow to stop in the air. The Gust attack was offering too much resistance to fly against. They were all blown back into the trees.

Only a few of the less daring Spearow remained. They were each perched in the trees, ready to strike if anything else were to happen.

The leader Spearow struggled in the vines. It tried to break free, but too much energy had been sapped from it. Spearow fell to the ground, unable to continue to fight.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Azul said as he threw an empty Poké Ball at the downed Spearow. The ball connected with the Spearow and hit the ground. It shook a few times before letting out its signature soft _ding_. Azul had caught his second Pokémon in two days.

The Spearow in the trees began to let loose terrible sounding caws. Everyone had to cover their ears. The Spearow began to fly blindly around, smacking into Azul and Jaune.

Where Spearow's talons were lay Nidoran's Poké Ball. Azul ran out and grabbed it. He lifted his Poké Ball and returned Cherry into it, refusing to let his Pokémon get hurt.

The Spearow dove from the trees, intent on hurting the two trainers. Azul grabbed Jaune's hand and started to run into the deeper into the forest.

"What were you thinking, capturing their leader like that?!" Jaune scolded.

"I thought that maybe I could use him to calm the others down!" Azul snapped.

One of the Spearow dove into Jaune's back. She tripped over and fell. She rolled down a small, dirt hill that led towards a small dip in the cliff at the edge of the trees. Azul grabbed her hand, but he was also struck by one of the Spearow. Both trainers rolled down into it. Azul quickly grabbed ahold of a small branch that stuck out. He held both his weight and Jaune's.

"Don't let go!" Jaune called.

"Yeah, like I'd let go and fall to my death! Any other advice?" Azul begged. He didn't have the strength to hold himself up in gym class. What made anyone think that he could hold both of them?

The Spearow flew overhead. They quickly found where the two trainers were and dove for them.

"Azul!" Jaune cried out. She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

Azul looked around and noticed that below them was a large tree. He watched as the Spearow got closer, then made his decision.

"Trust me!" He cried out while letting go of the branch seconds before the Spearow could wail into them.

The two trainers fell. Azul grabbed ahold of Jaune and Chiboo and held them tight. They crashed into the top of the tree. Azul winced at the pain. Jaune was out cold. He looked up and noticed that the Spearow were flying around angrily. They couldn't find where they went.

"Looks like we win," Azul said calmly before closing his eyes and letting himself black out.

Whenever Azul woke up, he was covered in his blanket. It was night time. Jaune was awake and making some food. She had a nice cozy fire around a tree stump near the tree that they fell into. Azul listened for a bit and noticed that he couldn't hear the Spearow anymore. Chiboo was resting soundly inside Jaune's pillow case.

Jaune caught sight of Azul waking up. "Oh, thank Arceus you're awake!" She ran over to Azul and gave him a hug. "Are you hurt?"

Azul nodded his head slowly. "What an adventure this is turning out to be." He looked up into the sky. It was a full moon tonight.

"So, where are we?" Azul asked.

"I think that we're still in Viridian Forest—just not on the path anymore. It kills me to say this, but we're lost," Jaune informed him. She handed out a bowl of soup for Azul to drink.

He grabbed it and slurped on it slowly. It burnt his tongue so he'd let it cool down for a bit. Jaune's cooking wasn't as good as his mom's, but it was a close second.

"What do we do next?" Azul asked. He had no answers currently.

"Do you want to wait till tomorrow to get moving again? There's no saying what's out there at night. To think that we had a problem during the day," Jaune said with a slight chortle in her tone.

"I agree," Azul said.

He grabbed at his belt and grabbed his three Poké Balls. He pressed the buttons and his three Pokémon materialized in front of him.

Spearow looked around angrily. "Spearow?" It squawked in confuseion. It winced at the pain that it took earlier.

Azul reached out and grabbed Spearow. He pulled it close and began to rub a cream on it that would help cure any wounds.

"I'm sorry, boy. I just wanted to protect my friend. You're welcome to come with us," Azul offered.

Spearow stretched out its wings and smelt the cream. It seemed to have enjoyed it. Azul watched and waited for Spearow's answer. Spearow shook its head to say that it'd go with them.

"Awesome!" Azul said happily. "Let's just check a few things."

He pulled out his Pokédex and scanned Spearow.

"Well, looks like I was wrong! This Spearow is a girl," Azul said with an embarrassed smile.

"It looks like you have another member to your group," Jaune noted. She looked around at the Pokémon that they've both caught. She herself had a Pidgey and her Pikachu, while Azul had a Bulbasaur, Nidoran, and Spearow.

She looked up into the sky and smiled at the full moon. Her eyes widened and she pointed up into the sky.

"Look!" She said.

Azul looked into the sky and noticed a few things flying through the air. These weren't Spearow though, they were much more peaceful.

"Butterfree," Jaune told him. "The moon was bright enough for Metapod to evolve."

"That is awesome…" Azul said in awe. There was much he wanted to learn about the Pokémon world. But now, he was just content gazing at the glittering Butterfree.


	7. The Day of Pichu

The next morning, Azul woke up and dragged himself out of the sleeping bag. He stretched, which made his many scratches from the Spearow burn, and looked down at Jaune and Chiboo. They were still sleeping, both letting out light snores. He walked a little bit out to see if he could find any way to path again, but failing.

Azul sighed in defeat and sat down, pulling out his Poké Balls. His Pokémon were released. They each sat near him, Spearow fluttering up to perch on his hat.

"We have to find a way out of here. Our next gym badge is coming up," he told his Pokémon. "If we're stuck here forever, then I may grow a beard and I'll look like a hobo."

"Bulba," Cherry mumbled unenthusiastically. The four of them sat in silence enjoying the cool, fresh forest air.

"Maybe Jaune and Chiboo have woken up. We should head back," Azul told his Pokémon.

The trainer and Pokémon each got up and began to walk back to their campsite. Jaune was indeed awake and was preparing to leave.

Without a word, Azul got his stuff packed up and readied to leave as well. He knew that they were in this lost because of him. If he would've kept his Poké Balls hidden better, Spearow would've never taken it. However, now that Spearow was his Pokémon, he found he couldn't be too mad at her.

"Do you know what we're going to do?" Jaune asked, finally breaking the silence.

Azul looked around and shook his head. "I have no clue. I think that all we can do is walk forward and hope to find the path."

"I can try finding our location on my Pokédex," Jaune suggested. She reached into her pocket and flipped open her yellow Pokédex. After pressing a few buttons, a static noise rumbled from the speaker.

"That doesn't sound good," Azul commented as his face paled.

"We're out of the service area. Or, all the trees might be blocking the signal There is no telling where we are right now," Jaune moped. "It looks like trying to find where the path is is our only option. Pewter City is north, and the sun rises in the east," Jaune said, facing the sun. She pointed to her left. "This way is north, then."

"Then let's get going," Azul called.

He put on his backpack but didn't return his Pokémon to their balls. Cherry and Nidoran walked on the ground, while Spearow stayed perched on his hat. Everyone began to walk in the direction they figured the path would lead them.

"I'm sorry for getting us lost," Azul apologized after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"It's okay. I would've done the same thing for Pidgey or Chiboo," Jaune replied. "We just need to stay calm and get out of here as soon as possible."

"I can agree with that," Azul laughed uneasily.

Suddenly something caught his eye. In a tree nearby, a light yellow Pokémon sat on a branch. The Pokémon had a red apple in its hand that it ate as quickly as it could.

"Kind of looks like a Pikachu," Azul noted. He pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. A pre-evolved form of Pikachu. It is unskilled at storing electric power. Any kind of shock causes it to discharge energy spontaneously. Level is 13 and known moves are Volt Tackle, Thunderpunch, Thundershock, and Thunder Wave."

"The pre-evolved form of Pikachu?" Jaune questioned. She looked at the Pokémon on her shoulder. "So, Pichu could be Chiboo's cousin!"

"I guess that you can look at it like that," Azul said with a slight chuckle. "Although this Pichu could be far from being related to Chiboo."

"I'm going to capture it!" Jaune said while she ran for the tree.

"But I want to capture it!" Azul called. He followed her to the tree.

"Hey, Pichu! You should come down here and battle me!" Jaune yelled from the bottom of the tree.

Pichu looked down at her and finished the apple. It stood up and stuck his tongue out at Chiboo.

"Pichu!" It taunted, turning around and smacking its butt. It jumped from the branch and began to run away.

"Get back here!" Jaune called. She chased after Pichu.

"Are you sure that it is worth chasing after?" Azul asked.

Jaune grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it into the air. Pidgey popped out of it and swooped down in front of Pichu.

"Use Gust!" Jaune ordered.

Pidgey began to flap its wings and whipped up a strong wind. Pichu blew back slightly, but it dug its feet into the ground. It stood strong and released a strong electric bolt from its body. The bolt struck Pidgey and caused it to fall to the ground.

"One hit and it's down?" Azul asked.

"Shut up! Chiboo, prepare for battle!" Jaune ordered. Chiboo jumped off of her shoulder and ran next to Pichu.

"Pichibu!" Chiboo snapped at Pichu.

Pichu glared at Chiboo and released more electric energy from its body to try to intimidate the small statured Pikachu.

"If you can't capture this Pichu, I gladly will," Azul told Jaune. "You better make this a good battle."

Jaune ignored Azul. "Use your Quick Attack!"

Chiboo darted from its spot for Pichu. Pichu braced itself and grabbed ahold of Chiboo on contact. Its fist began to glow with sparks before it smashed it into Chiboo's jaw, sending her into the air.

"Chiboo!" Jaune screamed.

Chiboo landed on the ground hard, but stood back up slowly. It glared at Pichu and let loose sparks from its body.

"That's right! Use your Thundershock!" Jaune ordered.

Chiboo did as told. The sparks crashed into Pichu, but it looked hardly phased. It sent back its own sparks and Chiboo was knocked back. It jumped into the air and released a small blue spark from its body. The spark raced for Chiboo.

"Dodge it!" Jaune commanded.

In the blink of an eye, Chiboo darted from under the attack and jumped into the air. She grabbed ahold of Pichu's feet and threw it at the ground.

"That was pretty good move," Azul commented.

"Try your own Thunder Wave," Jaune told Chiboo.

Chiboo took a deep breath before releasing a small blue spark at Pichu. The attack hit directly but didn't do anything. Pichu ran at Chiboo and jumped into the air. It slammed its electrified fist into the top of Chiboo's head, knocking Pikachu into the ground.

"Chiboo!" Jaune called. She ran onto the battlefield and grabbed her Pokémon.

Pichu stepped back and ran for a bush. In little time, it came back and dropped a small blue berry next to Chiboo.

"Are you giving this to my Pikachu?" Jaune asked.

Pichu had a stern look on its face. It nodded and turned to run away.

"I don't think so! It's my turn now!" Azul said. He ran towards the electric mouse Pokémon; his Pokémon followed.

"Pichu!" It cried out angrily. It wouldn't stop running away.

"We're going to have to bring it back here! Cherry, Vine Whip!" Azul ordered.

Both of Cherry's vines raced for Pichu. They wrapped around its legs and tripped it. Cherry let go and Pichu stood up. It turned around and glared at Azul.

"Pichu…" It growled in warning. It lifted its arms and prepared for battle.

"Nidoran, you're up first," Azul said. His pink Pokémon jumped forward and prepared for battle.

"Pichu!" It called while releasing electricity from its cheeks, trying to intimidate Nidoran.

"Nidoran, Double Kick!" Azul commanded.

Nidoran jumped into the air and let his legs flail. Pichu met him in the air, punching one of his feet. The other foot smacked into Pichu's face and knocked it into the ground.

"Good job! Now use a falling Peck attack!" Azul called out.

Nidoran fell and smashed into Pichu. Dust flew up into the air and covered both Pokémon. Nidoran flew out of the dust and flopped onto the ground. Static was surrounding it. The dust cleared and Pichu revealed itself; its arm covered in electricity.

"C'mon back, buddy," Azul told his Pokémon. Nidoran limped his way over slowly back to Azul's side.

"Alright, Spearow! Your turn!" Azul told the Pokémon that was perched on his shoulder. Spearow flew off and prepared to battle.

"You saw Pidgey's battle! Watch out for this one!" Jaune warned.

"I know. Fury Attack!" Azul ordered.

Spearow dashed at Pichu, flinging around her claws. Pichu dodged every move and tried to punch Spearow, but she easily swooped to avoid it.

"Try Peck!" Azul called out.

Spearow turned and smashed her beak into Pichu. Pichu quickly retreated and tried to escape. Spearow chased after it and pecked repeatedly at the back of Pichu's head. Pichu turned around and grabbed one of Spearow's talons. Azul watched as Spearow smashed her beak into Pichu's face.

"Fury Attack, now!" Azul screamed.

Spearow began to flail around. It scratched Pichu in the face and he let her leg go.

"You've done what you can! C'mon back," Azul ordered.

Spearow flew back and perched on Azul's hat. She took deep, ragged breaths.

"You ready, Cherry?" Azul asked his final Pokémon. Cherry nodded and walked forwards slowly.

"Pichu. Pichu!" Pichu screamed angrily, gasping for air. He refused to give in.

"Cherry, use your Vine Whip!" Azul ordered.

The two vines raced once more for Pichu. Pichu let loose its electricity. It zapped the vines which acted like wires, sending the surge towards Cherry. They jolted into Cherry and she let out a loud screech. Pichu jumped into the air and was engulfed in electricity. It took off for Pichu, ready to tackle Cherry.

"Watch out! That's Volt Tackle!" Jaune told Azul.

"Brace yourself!" Azul called.

Cherry dug her front legs into the ground and prepared for damage. The electrified Pichu crashed into Cherry, causing an explosion of dust and debris.

"Cherry!" Azul screamed desperately.

"Bulbasaur!" Cherry cried out.

Whenthe smoke cleared, Cherry was smacking Pichu with her vines.

"That's great! Now Tackle!" Azul cheered.

Cherry shifted back and pounded her body into Pichu's. Pichu skid back on the ground and tried to get back up. It only struggled.

"Leech Seed!" Azul called for his final attack.

Cherry lowered her head and a small yellow seed shot from her bulb. The seed planted itself on Pichu, and vines quickly grew around the small Pokémon, sapping all of its remaining energy.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Azul said while he threw one of his Poké Balls at Pichu. It connected and a red light absorbed Pichu into it. The ball fell to the ground and shook for a bit before letting out a soft ding. Pichu had been captured.

"Spearow!"

"Nidoran!"

"Bulba!" Azul's Pokémon all cheered.

"Check that out! You caught Pichu!" Jaune said happily. She folded her arms and smiled.

"Yes! I've caught another Pokémon! I'm on a roll!" Azul cheered out happily.

"I weakened it up for you," Jaune snapped teasingly.

Azul smiled. He ran out and grabbed the Poké Ball. Chiboo walked up to Azul's feet, holding the same berry that Pichu had given her.

"I think that she wants to share," Jaune suggested.

Azul pressed the button on his Poké Ball and released his newly caught Pokémon. Pichu appeared out of the ball and was still breathing pretty hard. Chiboo handed out the berry and Pichu smiled.

"Pichu? (For me?)" Pichu asked.

Chiboo nodded, and Pichu grabbed it. It tried to split it off with its tiny arms, but to no avail. It was too worn out from the battle. Cherry walked up to the duo and grabbed it with her vines. She split the berry in half and handed it to them.

"Pichu-pi! (Thank you!)" Pichu told Cherry.

"Bulba-Bulbasaur. (It was no problem.)" Cherry replied.

Azul closed his Pokédex and grinned. "Pichu is a boy. I had to check to make sure that I wasn't going to offend him like Spearow or anything. "

"It looks like they all get along," Jaune noted while Spearow, Nidoran, and Pidgey all joined the group.

Azul knelt down and put his hand on Pichu's head. "Hey, buddy! I'm Azul! I'll be your trainer from now on."

Pichu turned and glared at Azul. He closed his eyes and let out a strong electrical surge. The surge zapped Azul pretty hard. Azul fell on his back and cried out in pain.

"What was that for?!"

"Pichu! (No one can train me!)" Pichu snapped. He finished off the berry.

Jaune extend her hand and helped Azul get back on his feet. Azul dusted himself off and watched Pichu. Pichu ran up into a tree and grabbed ahold of more berries. He brought the berries over to the Pokémon and they began to eat.

"Why?" Azul asked.

Jaune patted his shoulder. "Some Pokémon won't listen to trainers the instant that you capture them. I read that once. Never thought it to be true, though."

"What do I have to do to get Pichu to like me?" Azul questioned. He feared that Pichu would just reject him.

"There is no definite way. You'll just have to earn his respect," Jaune replied.

Azul frowned. "This is a new one for me. I'll just have to be the best that I can be!"

**A/N It looks like Azul's team is definitely growing! What other Pokemon do you see joining his group? Also, what Pokemon do you see joining Jaune's team?**

**I'm going to bed, JohtoBlue**


	8. The Rockhard Gym

The sun began to rise when the duo finally reached Pewter City. Azul and Jaune got their first view on top of a hill that overlooked the entire city.

"Finally! Pewter!" Azul cheered. He looked down at Cherry. "Are you ready for our first gym battle?!"

"Bulba!" She replied with a jump in her step.

"Do you know what I will be up against?" Azul asked Jaune.

Jaune was feeding her tiny Pikachu a few pieces of bread for breakfast. Chiboo devoured the piece eagerly, happy to have an early breakfast.

"From what I've heard, the gym leader is really fond of rock-types. You could use Bulbasaur," Jaune informed him.

Azul nodded curtly and the group began to make their way into Pewter. It wasn't long until they found Pewter City's Pokémon Center. The building looked like a giant boulder and a regular Pokémon Center mashed together.

"You should get your Pokémon checked on first. You wouldn't want to challenge the gym leader if one of your Pokémon were hurt," Jaune suggested. Azul nodded, and they entered the Pokémon Center.

At the counter stood a woman who looked almost identical to the last nurse that they met. Azul squinted his eyes at her in confusion. Nurse Joy simply smiled.

"Can I help you?" She asked. She had the same hair, same color of skin, and same clothing as the last nurse.

"Nurse Joy? Are you a traveling nurse, or what?" Azul asked abruptly.

Nurse Joy laughed. "Oh, no. I take it that you just came from Viridian. I'm actually _that_ Nurse Joy's cousin."

Azul gave her a puzzled look.

"We'd like to get our Pokémon checked. Azul here will be taking on the gym leader if everything checks out fine," Jaune explained before things could get anymore awkward.

"All right. Go ahead and let me get a look at them," Nurse Joy said.

Azul handed over his four Poké Balls and Jaune handed over Chiboo and Pidgey's Poké Balls. Nurse Joy took them on a Poké Ball holder and walked into the backroom.

"So, explain why they look alike," Azul said with a slight laugh.

Jaune shook her head. "No one really knows why. I guess it's just an inherited trait."

"More things that are a mystery!" Azul smiled.

The two sat down in the lobby and waited for Nurse Joy to return with their Pokémon. Azul went through his Pokédex to look up a few rock-types that the gym leader could have.

"Nidoran knows Double Kick which should be super-effective against a rock-type," Azul noted out loud.

"You may want to avoid using Spearow. Rock-types could easily hurt her. Pichu may also run into a little bit of trouble," Jaune informed him. "Most rock-types are also ground-types, especially the ones here in the Kanto region."

Azul nodded. "So, if I will just have to use Nidoran and Cherry for this one!"

"You don't want to put too much pressure on them, though," Nurse Joy's voice called as she stepped from the backroom with their Pokémon trailing behind her. Pichu and Chiboo were on her shoulders.

"Are they doing well, Joy?" Azul asked.

"Your Pokémon are doing wounderful. You are clear to battle today if you wish."

Azul noticed that Pichu was on her shoulder and smiled. "Looks like Pichu has warmed up towards humans a little bit!" He extended his hand and tried to pet Pichu. Pichu retreated behind Nurse Joy's head.

"Are you ready to go?" Jaune asked.

Azul nodded, ignoring Pichu. He returned all of his Pokémon and walked with Jaune towards the gym. Jaune had the map, but Azul still acted like he knew where he was going.

"Are you sure that you're ready? If you need to train more, we can always go back to Viridian Forest and find a few battles," Jaune suggested.

Azul looked down at his Poké Balls. "I have full faith in my Pokémon. Cherry is a fantastic battler, and so is Nidoran. I know they can win this gym battle for me."

The two finally made it to the gym. It was a square building with many boulders piled at the entrance, resembling pillars. Azul stared them down, intimidated by the rugged building.

"Are you going to battle first?" Azul asked.

Jaune shook her head frantically. "I… Uh… I don't think that Chiboo or Pidgey would stand much of a chance!"

Azul pushed the doors open and walked into a dimly lit room. He looked around and found himself in a small, makeshift battlefield. Jagged rocks stuck out at random places, making the building seem all the more intimidating to Azul.

"Hello!" Azul called. His voice echoed throughout the whole room.

Lights flickered on at the sound of Azul's voice, and he took a look around, now able to completely see the gym. It had a simple design, with the battlefield at the center and a watching area on an indoor balcony.

"I take it that you're a challenger?" A voice rang back.

The carrier of the voice walked out of a dark backroom. He had squinted eyes and spiky brown hair. He wore cargo pants that were a dark brown color along with a white t-shirt and a dark brown vest.

Azul nodded. The gym leader's look was just as daunting as the rest of the gym. "I'm Azul Claywood, from Pallet Town!"

"My name is Brock, the gym leader here in Pewter City. If your friend wants to watch, then she'll have to go up to the watching area," Brock explained.

Jaune ran with Chiboo towards the staircase. She was up in the viewing area in little time.

"Does a three-on-three battle sound good to you?" Brock asked.

_If the Pokémon he uses are rock-types, then I'm pretty sure that Nidoran and Cherry can end this quickly. Three-on-three shouldn't be a problem_, Azul thought. "Yeah! That sounds great with me!"

Brock walked up to his trainer box and waited for Azul to move to his. Azul scuttled his way over went over, forming a plan in his head.

A referee came out from the backroom and held out two flags. "This will be a three-on-three gym battle to determine the fate of the Boulder Badge! Only the challenger can make substitutions! The battle will be over whenever one trainer's side is unable to continue! Begin!"

"I'll begin! C'mon out, Rhyhorn!" Brock called. He pressed the button on his Poké Ball and released his Pokémon.

The Pokémon was a quadruped. It had a dark grey rocky body. A horn stuck out of its nose. It was clear that the horn would be its main weapon in the wild. Rhyhorn pawed at the ground, ready to do damage.

Jaune scanned Rhyhorn with her yellow Pokédex. "Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon. A Pokémon with a one-track mind. Once it charges, it won't stop running until it falls asleep. Level is 12, and known moves are Horn Attack, Stomp, Fury Attack, and Thunder Fang."

"You better watch out, Azul!" Jaune warned.

Azul nodded. He grabbed for his belt and attempted to pull off Nidoran's Poké Ball. He almost dropped it in the process but tried to play it off cool.

"Nidoran, do this for me buddy!" He threw his Poké Ball into the air and Nidoran emerged. It mimicked Rhyhorn in pawing the ground.

"Rhyhorn, use your Thunder Fang!" Brock ordered.

"Get around it, and use your Double Kick!" Azul snapped back.

Rhyhorn began a charge for Nidoran; his fangs had electrical sparks emerging from them. Nidoran charged back, but before either could make contact, Nidoran jumped into the air over Rhyhorn. He turned around and kicked Rhyhorn twice in the side.

"Awesome!" Azul said happily.

"Fury Attack!" Brock called calmly.

Without any hesitation, Rhyhorn turned and began to smash his horn repeatedly into Nidoran.

"Get out of there!" Azul screamed.

Nidoran jumped back. He was really beat up from the ongoing attack.

"Now try your Horn Attack!" Brock ordered.

Rhyhorn began a charge. Azul blanched; he had no idea what to do. He only watched in fear as Nidoran's demise came closer.

Nidoran suddenly shifted back and let loose a plethora of small purple needles from his horn. The needles jabbed into Rhyhorn, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"That was Poison Sting!" Jaune informed Azul.

"Awesome! He learned a new attack!" Azul yelled happily. "Try your Focus Energy while he's stunned!"

Nidoran began to glow red. He charged energy while Rhyhorn thrashed around.

"Use Stomp!" Brock commanded firmly.

Rhyhorn stopped squirming and lifted his from leg. He jumped into the air, ready to crush Nidoran.

"Counter with your Double Kick!"

Nidoran jumped into the air and kicked furiously. Both Pokémon collided with one another and fell to the ground in a slump. Both were finished.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! This round ends in a draw!" The referee declared.

_Oh no! If Nidoran is unable to continue, then that means that Cherry has to defeat both of Brock's other Pokémon! _Azul mentally groaned.

"Your Nidoran put up a good fight," Brock complimented. He let the red stream of light return his Pokémon and he drew out another Poké Ball. "But you stand no chance against my Geodude!"

A round boulder-looking Pokémon appeared. It had only two arms that it thrashed around excitedly.

Jaune scanned the new Pokémon with her Pokédex. "Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude are commonly found near mountain trails. If you step on one by accident, it gets angry."

"Who wouldn't?" Jaune remarked sarcastically.

"Level is 12, and known moves are Rock Throw, Rock Polish, Defense Curl, and Tackle," the Pokédex finished.

Azul returned Nidoran back into his ball. He grabbed Cherry's Poké Ball and flung it into the air. "Let's go, Cherry!"

The Bulbasaur appeared in the middle of the arena. She glared at the opposing Geodude.

"You may have the first attack," Brock informed Azul.

"Cherry, use Vine Whip!" Azul ordered quickly.

Cherry, without moving from her spot, swiftly let loose two vines from her side. The vines raced for Geodude.

"Defense Curl!" Brock called.

Geodude wrapped his arms around himself, while the vines struck him hard. It looked as though he wasn't taking any damage.

"Now, Rock Throw!" Brock ordered.

Geodude grabbed into the ground and lifted rocks from it. He tossed them at Cherry.

Cherry avoided one quickly, but was struck by another in the face. "Bulba!" She cried angrily.

"Cherry!" Azul screamed.

"You have to do something, Azul!" Jaune yelled from the balcony.

"Cherry, use your Leech Seed!" Azul commanded.

Cherry bowed her head and let loose a single seed from her bulb. The seed hit Geodude and immediately sprouted vines around his body. He struggled but his energy was being sapped away.

"Tackle attack!" Brock barked.

Geodude darted for Cherry. His body collided with hers, causing her to skid across the rocky field. He fell weakly because of the Leech Seed.

"While he's weakened, try your Vine Whip one more time!" Azul ordered.

Cherry let loose her two vines. The smacked against Geodude, causing him to fall down to the ground.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" The referee declared.

"How long have you had that Bulbasaur?" Brock asked while he returned Geodude.

"About a week," Azul answered, nonchalantly.

"You definitely have a strong connection with her. It's nice to see trainer and Pokémon fight alongside in sync," Brock said. He pulled out his last Poké Ball. "Now, it's time for Onix!"

A giant snake-like Pokémon popped out of the Pokémon. It's body was made out of different sized boulders, the largest one being his head and the smallest the end of his tail.

"Th-that thing is giant!" Azul said to himself.

Jaune once more scanned Brock's Pokémon. "Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. They burrow at high speed in search of food. The tunnels it leaves are used as homes by Diglett. Level is 15, and known moves are Bind, Tackle, Rock Throw, and Rock Tomb."

"I can't imagine the power of a Tackle from that thing," Jaune commented.

"Well, how about I show you?" Brock said. He pointed at Cherry. "Use your Tackle!"

"Cherry, watch out!" Azul screamed.

Onix dove directly for Cherry, but she jumped in the air last second, landing on the giant snake's nose.

"Now use your Vine Whip!" Azul called. He was relieved that Cherry wasn't smashed into pieces.

Cherry let her vines fly. She smacked them repeatedly into Onix's face. Onix only winced at the pain. He lifted his head and tossed Cherry to the side. Cherry landed on her legs safely and took deep breaths.

"Use your Bind!" Brock ordered.

Onix reached out its long tail and wrapped it around Cherry's small body. He squeezed hard, making Bulbasaur cry out in pain.

"Cherry!" Azul screamed

"Bulba!" Cherry screamed back.

"Use your Leech Seed!" Azul ordered, hoping that something would happen.

Cherry released the seed from his back, sending into the bottom of Onix's jaw. Onix squeezed harder while the seed sprouted. He loosened and Cherry fell to the ground, limp.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle!" The referee announced.

At those words, it felt like Azul's heart was ripped out. His only hope had been with Nidoran and Cherry. If they couldn't battle, what would he do?

He walked onto the field and grabbed ahold of Cherry. He carried her back to his trainer box and laid her down gently.

"What are you going to do?" Jaune asked from the balcony. She had a look of concern.

Azul shook his head. "I guess I have to wing it…"

Azul looked out onto the field, trying to build some sort of strategy.

"If the challenger doesn't pick a Pokémon in the next ten seconds, I'll have to disqualify him," the referee ruled.

Azul grabbed at his belt. He pulled off a Poké Ball and took a deep breath. "All right, Pichu. Let's do this!"

Pichu emerged from the ball. He looked at Azul then spat on the ground while crossing his arms, signaling that he refused to listen to him.

"Pichu, please listen to me. I know you don't want to really battle for me, but we need to," Azul pleaded. Pichu gave him a look of disgust. "If not for me, do it for your buddies. They all fell battling. Why don't you battle for them?"

Pichu cocked his eye and looked at Onix. He then struck a battling pose.

"Really?" Azul questioned.

"Pichu!" Pichu replied.

"Alright! Use your Thunderpunch!" Azul ordered.

Pichu got down on all fours and instead of turning his fist into electricity, his whole body suddenly became covered in electric sparks. He darted for Onix and tackled him.

"That was Volt Tackle! I said Thunderpunch!" Azul screamed.

Pichu looked back and stuck out his tongue, before he smacked his behind at Azul.

"What?" Azul wondered.

"Tackle!" Brock ordered, taking advantage of the situation.

Onix dove for Pichu, but the small Pokémon avoided it. He jumped onto his nose, just like Cherry did, and charged up his fist. He jabbed Onix directly in the eye with a Thunderpunch. Onix fell backwards.

"Go Pichu!" Jaune cheered.

"Pichibu!" Chiboo called from Jaune's shoulder, also cheering.

"Try your Rock Tomb!" Brock called. He was beginning to worry.

Onix lifted his tail and tossed a few boulders into the air. The boulders landed around Pichu, causing him to be incased in rock.

"Use Volt Tackle to bust out of there!" Azul called.

Pichu heard the command but instead let sparks fly from his body. The sparks completely destroyed the boulders and left little pebbles flying in the air.

Onix seemed to have been weakening by the second. With every few moments, he'd put his head down.

Azul looked up and noticed that the seed from Cherry's last Leech Seed was still planted in Onix's jaw.

"Pichu! I know you don't want to listen to me, but you have to aim for the seed on Onix's jaw! If you give it a jolt, it could activate!" Azul yelled.

Pichu looked at the seed and burst into sparks. He ran up Onix's lengthy body, eventually crashing into his jaw. Onix fell back and the plant began to spread. It covered most of Onix's face, blinding him and sapping his energy. After a few seconds of struggling, Onix fell to the ground.

"Onix is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Pichu and trainer Azul!" The referee announced. He raised his flag towards Azul's direction.

"Yes!" Azul screamed. He ran onto the battlefield and grabbed ahold of Pichu. He danced around slightly and gave a tight hug to Pichu. Pichu let loose sparks, causing Azul to drop him and fall to the ground.

Brock laughed at the young trainer. He walked onto the battlefield after returning Onix into its Poké Ball. He stuck out his hand and Azul grabbed it, pulling himself back up. Whenever his hand retracted, he was holding a small grey pendant.

"The Boulder Badge is now yours. You need to keep training, but if you can Pichu under control, then you will go far," Brock said.

Azul smiled at his gym badge then Pichu. "I'm sure that he'll warm up to me one day."

"Chibu!" Jaune's Pikachu called. She ran onto the field and kissed Pichu on the cheek.

"Haha. That's cute," Jaune remarked.

"How is that cute?" Azul wondered aloud.

"So, where do you plan on going next? Cerulean or Viridian?" Brock asked.

"The Viridian Gym leader is a jerk! I'm going to save him for last!" Azul snapped. "I guess that means we're going to Cerulean."

**A/N Sorry for the late updates. We've been having a few issues, both personal and mechanical. I wish I could update more. I do promise though, if it takes the next few weeks or years, I'll finish these stories.**

**Q1) Did you enjoy the battle?**

**Q2) How do you think the battle with the Cerulean Gym Leader should go?**


	9. Diglett!

Azul sat up slowly in his bed and rubbed his eyes with his soft hands. It wasn't sunrise yet, but he had felt restless. Grabbing ahold of his hat and the newest gym badge that laid next to it, he marveled the badge, taking in his first real accomplishment as a trainer.

Azul got dressed and made his way down into the lobby. It was quiet, peaceful, and coo outside. The television was turned down to a low, and a girl sat quietly watching in the Pokémon Center's chair. Azul sat down on the couch on the opposite side of the resting area. He pulled out his gym badge once more and smiled.

"I take it that you just won that badge?" The girl asked. She was no older than Azul and had short black hair and amber eyes. She wore a grey t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. A tan bag lay down next to her feet. It looked as though it was as full as it would get.

"Just yesterday, in fact!" Azul replied proudly. He didn't want to seem egotistic, but he was so proud of the fact that he finally had a gym badge.

"That's good for you. It's always great to feel accomplished about something. I'll be taking on the Pewter Gym today," the girl informed him.

She had such a calm demeanor that Azul really didn't know how to respond. He felt wide awake at the fact that he was pumped up to win another gym badge, but after traveling with someone smart like Jaune, he knew that he should try to impress more trainers.

"He's a really strong gym leader. I had to use all that I had. It almost wasn't enough," Azul explained. He held his gym badge tightly and stuffed it back into its case. "My name is Azul Claywood. I'm hoping to make it to the league some day."

"It's nice to meet you Azul. My name is Isadora Brown. People usually refer to me as Izzy for short," the girl now known as Izzy replied. She grabbed ahold of her bag and swung it over her shoulders.

"Are you leaving already?" Azul asked. "It's still a little bit early."

"I have to go and prepare for my gym battle. Maybe I'll see you again one day, Azul," she said calmly. She walked towards the sliding doors and disappeared as quickly as she came into sight.

Azul sighed and slumped his shoulders. It kind of felt as though he was in school again. He always had a bright smile on, but people had always found excuses to be away from him. Would being a trainer, in the real world, be any different?

"You're already up?" a voice asked quietly.

Azul looked over and noticed that it was now Jaune that he was speaking to. She was wearing her yellow pajamas still, and her hair was sticking out everywhere. Her eyes were drooped.

"I couldn't sleep because of my excitement. I want to keep going. I want to win my next gym badge," Azul explained.

Jaune nodded. "I'll go and get ready then. It'll be nice to get an early start. The morning is always nice."

Jaune turned and left to get dressed and showered. Azul waited in the Pokémon Center diner where he ordered food. Whenever Jaune came back, they ate a big breakfast in celebration.

"Do you plan on taking on the gym challenge?" Azul asked Jaune. He stuck a piece of bacon in his mouth and sucked on it.

Jaune ran her fingers through her hair. She placed her straw hat back on and sighed.

"I'd love to win gym badges, but I'm not really cut out for the whole deal. I'll want to take on a few gyms if possible, but I'm not going out of my way for them," Jaune explained. "I'm more curious on how to raise my Pokémon to be healthy."

Azul smiled. He looked down at his Poké Balls. He never really knew of any other option than Pokémon battling. His mother did have her Meowth, Fluffy, but she didn't really even raise her. Most kids were raised to think that Pokémon battling is the main focus. Anyone who was strong enough to make it to the top was looked up to by people from all regions.

After paying their bill, the duo left the Pokémon Center and started for the east where their next destination would be.

"Cerulean?" Azul asked Jaune.

"Yep. From what I know, the gym leader there uses water-types. Cherry would have an advantage over them in that case," Jaune explained.

"Stop right there!" A voice shouted.

The two turned around and met eyes with a boy that looked the same age as them.

"C-can I help you?" Azul asked.

"Not you! Her!" the boy snapped. He had a short-sleeved blue polo on with grey shorts. He also wore a yellow hardhat for no particular reason.

"What do you want from me?" Jaune asked. She had a blank expression on her face.

"You went into the Pewter Gym yesterday and didn't even battle! All trainers who go into the gym must prove themselves!" the boy shouted.

"Um… That makes little to no sense at all," Jaune mumbled to Azul.

"I think he wants to battle you," Azul suggested.

The boy grabbed ahold of a Poké Ball and extended his arm towards Jaune. "I challenge you to a battle! Unless you're too scared!"

"I think that it is time that I get some battling time in," Jaune replied. She dropped her knapsack onto the ground and grabbed her Poké Ball. Chiboo jumped off of her shoulder and stood next to Azul.

"Let's go, Sandshrew!" the boy called while he threw his Poké Ball into the air.

A small brown Pokémon appeared. It had a mischievous grin on its face.

"We'll fight your Sandshrew with Pidgey!" Jaune said. She released her Pokémon from its ball.

Pidgey swooped in the air and caught the wind. He seemed to enjoy the breeze.

"You have the first attack!" the boy said calmly. He had a sly grin, like he was planning something.

_If I can beat her and show her how strong I am, maybe she'll think I'm cute or something!_ The boy thought.

"Ground-type attacks won't affect a flying-type like Sandshrew, but flying-type attacks won't do the best against a ground-type ether," Azul noted aloud.

"Pichibu!" Chiboo replied.

"Pidgey, start with your Gust!" Jaune ordered. She seemed pumped for her first real battle.

Pidgey swooped from the sky and flapped his wings hard. The wind, from the flapping, kicked up dirt and caused a tiny tornado to be formed. It blew towards Sandshrew, but it hardly took any damage.

"Sandshrew, fight back! Use your Scratch!" The boy ordered.

Sandshrew jumped into the air and swung his claw at Pidgey.

"Dodge!"

Pidgey ducked and dove under Sandshrew. He came back up and bashed his wing against Sandshrew's head.

"What was that?" Azul wondered aloud.

"I think that Pidgey just tried a Wing Attack!" Jaune said happily.

"Pichi!" Chiboo called from the side.

The dirt at her side suddenly shifted and a small brown Pokémon with a circular red nose popped up.

"Chibu?" Chiboo asked.

"Diglett!" The Pokémon replied. It seemed worried.

"You can do it, Jaune!" Azul cheered. He was completely oblivious to the two Pokémon talking below him.

"Sandshrew, Dig!" The boy ordered.

Sandshrew dove into the ground, only leaving behind a giant hole.

"It disappeared!" Jaune screamed.

"Come up!" The boy yelled.

The ground suddenly burst open. Sandshrew flew from the ground and smashed into Pidgey. Pidgey crashed onto the unforgiving ground.

"Pidgey!" Jaune squealed.

"Jaune!" Azul cried.

Jaune turned to find worried Azul.

"Chiboo has gone missing!" Azul told her.

"What?!" Jaune screamed. She turned and let the red stream from the Poké Ball return Pidgey. "I'm sorry, but I have to find my Pokémon. We can finish our battle later!"

"I think that she could've gone this way. There is some lifted dirt that forms a trail," Azul said.

With that, the two trainers took off, following the trail that was made. The only thing that was on their minds, was to get Chiboo back.

"Chiboo!" Jaune called.

"Pichibu!" The Pikachu called from afar.

The two trainers ran up a hill and, to their relief, Chiboo was at the top. She was standing alongside the small brown Pokémon with the round red nose.

"What's that?" Azul wondered. He pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Diglett, the Mole Pokémon. Diglett often live about one yard underground where it feeds on plant roots. It sometimes appears above ground. Level is 13 and known moves are Sand-Attack, Growl, Astonish, and Mud-Slap." The Pokédex announced.

"Pichi! Pichibu!" Chiboo told the two trainers.

"I think that Chiboo wants to help out Diglett," Jaune told Azul.

"Help Diglett with what?" Azul wondered.

Diglett continued down the hill and into a small cavern. Azul and Jaune followed, ducking their head and walking into a dark unknown. As they got deeper into the cave, they could feel it getting colder.

"I can't see anything!" Azul said loudly.

"Don't yell! I can handle this. Chiboo, use Flash!" Jaune ordered.

"Pichibu!" Chiboo cried out, letting out a bright light from her body. Her light lit up the cave, revealing that no more than ten feet ahead of them, was a small river. Tiny, blue, winged Pokémon clung to the top of the cave with their small pointed legs.

"Those look cool!" Azul said while scanning the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. It forms colonies in perpetually dark places. It uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets. " The Pokédex read.

"Dig, Diglett!" Diglett screeched.

"Take a closer look over there!" Jaune called. She pointed to the back of the cave where a silver pipe stuck out of the wall.

"And if you look at this river, it doesn't even really look like water. It looks like some kind of waste," Azul noted.

"This is Diglett's Cave which connects Pewter and Vermillion. It looks like someone is dumping their liquid waste into this cave. That is going to disrupt the life here for the Diglett and Dugtrio," the boy from earlier told him while he walked into the cave.

"It's you! I'm sorry, but I can't battle right now," Jaune told him.

"I'm not looking for a Pokémon Battle right now. My name is Jerry by the way. I'm sorry for being so rude," Jerry apologized.

Azul ran around the edge of the goop. He took a closer look at the pipe and frowned.

"Pewter Pro?" He wondered aloud.

"I know where that is!" Jerry called.

"What can we do to get them to stop?" Jaune asked.

Jerry shook his head slowly. "There is nothing that you two could do, but maybe Brock could get them to stop doing this. I know that he wouldn't allow this to continue."

"We should go and tell Brock then! We can't let this happen to the Diglett!" Azul said with slight anger in his tone.

"Right! Let's go!" Jerry said.

The three trainers, Chiboo, and Diglett all made their way out of the cavern and quickly back into the city. Before they knew it, they stood in front of the gym. The boy knocked on the doors and walked in. Brock stood in the middle of the battlefield, talking to his Pokémon.

"Brock!" the boy cried out.

Brock turned around and had a different expression on than yesterday. It was now more friendlier.

"How's it going?" He asked cheerfully.

"There's a problem down in Diglett Cave. It looks like Pewter Pro. is dumping their waste in there! It's making the cave unhealthy for the Pokémon," Jaune explained.

"We have to go and stop that!" Brock said. He pulled out his Poké Balls and returned his Pokémon.

The group made their way out of the gym and to the east side of Pewter. They came to a large, seven story building built out of clay. Brock pushed the doors open and walked straight up the receptionist behind a white desk.

"I need to speak with the CEO, please," Brock stated firmly.

"I'm sorry, but you'll need to make an appointment," the receptionist replied. She wore a dark purple business dress, and had her hair up in a bun.

"I don't have enough time for that. Do you know who I am? I'm the Pewter Gym Leader, and I'd like to talk to your CEO," Brock demanded.

The receptionist sighed and pushed a button on her desk. "Dagnix, someone is here to see you. It's Brock from the Pewter Gym."

"Send him in," a voice called from the speaker on the desk.

"You're welcome to go in," the receptionist told Brock.

Brock moved to walk into the doors behind the receptionist, along with the group, but the receptionist shot them a nefarious glare.

"Only the Gym Leader. You all will have to wait," she snapped.

"Go ahead and go back to Diglett's Cave. Make sure that no Pokémon are hurt or anything. I'll catch up with you guys," Brock told them.

The three trainers ran out of the building and made their way back to Diglett's Cave. There were many Diglett outside of the cave. Many more were pouring out.

"Where's are little buddy?" Jaune asked Chiboo. Chiboo hopped off of her shoulder and ran into the cave.

"Chiboo, wait up!" Jaune called. The trainers ran in after the tiny Pikachu. Chiboo used flash as soon as they were inside the cave, lighting it up once more. This time, the Zubat and Diglett were gone.

"What's that stench?" Azul asked, pinching his nose and making a face.

"They're dumping even more! Look!" Jerry yelled. He pointed at the pipe which was spewing liquid.

"We have to stop this!" Azul said. He pulled out a Poké Ball and released Pichu. "Pichu, use your Thunderbolt on that pipe!"

"Pichu?" (What?) He looked at the pipe then back at Azul. He folded his arms and stuck his tongue out at Azul.

"Still not listening? C'mon, Pichu!" Azul argued.

"Pichi-Pichibu!" Chiboo pleaded.

"Pichu?" (You too?) He glanced at the pipe once more. "Pichu!" (Alright then!) He let loose bolts from his body. The bolts connected with the pipe, only denting it slightly.

"You help out, Chiboo!" Jaune ordered.

Both electric mouse Pokémon released more electricity. The electricity smacked against the pipe, leaving a bigger dent in the side, closing it off.

The pipe made a loud screeching noise, and suddenly it stopped leaking. The group took a deep breath of relief.

"It's closed off! Good job, Pichu!" Azul cheered.

Pichu glared at him and crossed his arms. "Pichu!"

"Hey, guys! I have good news! They'll stop letting loose their waste in the cave!" Brock's voice echoed. He ran into the cave and looked at the group, who were smiling.

"What did you do?" He asked.

Azul pointed at the pipe. "We closed it off anyways! The Pokémon didn't like it."

Brock looked around at the waste and plugged his nose. "This is going to be a huge clean-up project."

"I'll help ya, boss!" Jerry said with a smile.

_She probably will think that I'm really cool if I help clean the pollution!_ He thought.

Jaune smiled at Jerry, who of course smiled back. She suddenly felt something ram into the back of her ankle. She turned and found that it was Diglett.

"How's it going, Diglett?" She asked playfully. "Are you happy to see your home in better condition."

"Diglett!" It replied. "Diglett, dig!"

"Oh really?" Jaune asked.

"What is Diglett saying?" Jerry asked.

"It wants to come with me. It wants to stay with Chiboo," Jaune explained.

"How did she understand that?" Azul asked himself.

Jaune knelt down and pet the top of Diglett's head. "Alright, buddy. You can come along." She pulled out a Poké Ball and tapped the top of Diglett's head. Diglett was absorbed into the ball, disappearing from sight.

Jaune held the ball up high and smiled. "I caught a new Pokémon!"

"I wouldn't consider that to be a real capture…" Azul mumbled.


	10. A Day At The Museum

The wind was harsh and nipped at Azul's cheeks. Snow filled the air, forcing Azul to wrap up into his jacket. The climb up the mountain had proven a challenge for him. People had warned Azul of the treacherous climb up Mt. Silver, but he had to ignore those rumors if he wanted to become stronger. He walked upwards, looking for a place to camp. He would be staying here for a long time.

* * *

><p>Azul and Jaune stayed another night in Pewter after the incident over in Diglett's Cave. They figured because of all commotion, they would not make it to another Pokémon Center by nightfall. Jerry said his goodbyes and went back to the gym. He promised to try to say goodbye to them before they officially left Pewter.<p>

The two trainers sat in the Pokémon Center diner, eating their food. The Pokémon Center offered a free dinner to younger trainers like Azul and Jaune. It was no home-cooked meal, but it was better than starving.

Cherry laid on Azul's lap, resting her eyes, and Chiboo relaxed on Jaune's shoulders. After an eventful day, they needed the rest.

Azul stuck a spoonful of pudding in his mouth and looked at Diglett's Poké Ball on the table. "So, do you plan on battling with Diglett?"

"Pokémon aren't necessarily meant to battle. I want to work with my Pokémon and become friends. Battling isn't everything, Azul," Jaune said.

"Then why did you ever get a Pokédex from Professor Oak? To be honest, I don't even think that he mentioned you before we ever received our Pokémon," Azul noted. "I just don't get it!"

"I'd rather talk about that at some other time. I'm too tired right now," Jaune replied. She stood up and cracked her neck. Putting her Poké Ball into her pocket, Jaune walked out of sight and back to the room.

Azul finished his food and quickly followed Jaune back to the room. He fell asleep on the bottom bunk and dreamt of his future as a Pokémon Master.

The next morning, the bright sun was hidden behind a few clouds. A slight fog filled the air, making everything cooler than the previous days.

The two woke up early and got ready for their journey to Mt. Moon. Whenever they walked out of the Pokémon Center, they were surprised at the sudden chill.

"Brr… I really don't want to walk in this cold today…" Azul yawned. "Is there any way that we could stay in Pewter one more day?"

"Are you serious? You do know that if you want to become a strong Pokémon trainer, you'll have to deal with bad weather conditions," Jaune snapped. "This weather isn't even bad!"

"If you're planning on staying another day in Pewter, I suggest going to the museum. You may find a few interesting things over there," Nurse Joy interjected. She was coming in for her shift to replace the night Nurse Joy.

"That sounds fun!" Azul cried out. "And warm…"

"I guess that I can't say no to a learning experience. Fine. We'll go to the museum then go straight to Mt. Moon afterwards," Jaune delineated.

Nurse Joy pointed forward. "You'll find the museum at the northern part of the city. You can't miss it."

The two thanked Nurse Joy then made their way north to the museum. They passed the gym, which seemed as though it was closed for the day. After a few minutes of walking, they finally made it to the museum. On the front of the large building was a statue of an ancient dragon. The two walked in and marveled at what was displayed.

"The fee is 500 each," a man wearing a black suit and a black hat said whenever they walked in.

Azul handed over the PokéDollars that he had earned from his battle with Brock. The two were given passes and were let into the museum.

There were many counters with different fossils and descriptions laying in them. A glass wall was to their right where the two could watch a multitude of scientists work on unknown things.

"What do you think they're working on?" Azul wondered.

"They're studying the different fossils that they've come across. Pokémon Scientists have the hope of one day being able to resurrect ancient Pokémon," a familiar voice informed them.

The duo turned and met eyes with Rouge, who they had not seen since Pallet Town.

"Rouge!" Azul cried. He ran forward and gave her a hug. "It's been forever!"

"It's only been two weeks, Azul," Rouge replied calmly.

"Funny… It feels more like a year," Azul mumbled.

"So, what are you doing here?" Jaune asked.

"I'm just here to study a little bit on the different ancient Pokémon. I'm a big fan of the history of Pokémon."

"That's awesome! How has your journey been so far?" Azul asked. He didn't know it, but he was blushing.

"I just won my first gym badge yesterday," Rouge replied, fiddling through her back and grabbing her gym badge. She flashed it at Azul.

"I won mine two days ago. I'll be going to challenge the Cerulean gym after awhile!"

"What could you teach us about the Pokémon fossils?" Jaune asked. She seemed a bit ticked off by Azul and his obvious infatuation with Rouge.

"Honestly, I don't know too much about them. I've only read a little bit about them. I know that a lot of them were water-types," Rouge explained. "Do you guys want to go upstairs and check out what's up there?"

The two agreed and the group made their ways upstairs. The room was filled with many different fossils that were hung up on the wall, put in cases, and placed in the corners. Some were molded together to look like the Pokémon that they once were. From the ceiling hung a model of a winged ancient Pokémon.

Azul stared up at the ancient Pokémon in awe. It reminded him of Charizard a bit and of how he had once dreamed of riding through the skies on a Charizard. Verde had destroyed those dreams completely.

"Did you know, that just like how Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur are usually only found in Kanto, ancient Pokémon also had their own set regions. The regions usually fit their climate and it was difficult for them to leave. That's why, in the Kanto region, you'll usually only see Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl fossils," Rouge explained.

"Wow…" Azul mumbled out of breath. "I'd love to meet one some day. But I guess that's impossible!"

Rouge grinned. "I can let you in on a secret!" With this, Azul and Jaune got closer so Rouge could whisper. "From what I've heard, scientists are working on bring back Pokémon from fossils! It could be just a matter of years!"

"That'd be awesome!" Azul screamed. Jaune and Rouge shushed him quickly before he could draw any attention.

A sudden loud bang from the downstairs grabbed everyone's attention. The three trainers darted towards the stairs and peered down, not leaving the safe upstairs.

Downstairs, there were men and women, who wore black with a red 'R' on their tops, crowding the area. A few of the group had some of the museum workers tied up and guns to their heads. They were destroying a few of the display cases and grabbing the artifacts, putting them carefully into bags. The customers were also tied up. A little girl sat in the corner crying.

"Who are these people?" Jaune asked. She hid behind Azul and Chiboo tucked herself into Jaune's bag.

"We can handle this down here. The Blue Unit can go upstairs!" A voice ordered.

Some of the members from the group turned and began to make their way up the stairs. The three trainers began to scramble to find a place to hide. Jaune and Azul hid behind one of the larger display cases, while Rouge found a spot behind a circular display. The black dressed group grabbed ahold of some of the civilians throughout the top floor, tying them up and pointing guns at their heads. One member grabbed ahold of a little boy and the boy began to scream loudly.

"I've had enough!" Rouge screamed. She grabbed a Poké Ball and raced out into the ground. Before she could release her Pokémon, a man grabbed ahold of her and threw her on the ground.

Azul watched in horror, while Rouge was tied up. "Rouge!"

**A/N Sorry for a small chapter. I really didn't know where I was going with this chapter. The next chapter will be our introduction to Team Rocket! Are you ready?!**


	11. A Dark Day At The Museum!

There are always moments that one will never forget on their Pokémon Journey: battling your rival for the first time, the first time that you capture a Pokémon, that first time that you do something really stupid on accident, and the first time that you do something out of pure courage. Azul had already fought once with Verde, ending in a draw. He had caught a Nidoran, which gave him the courage to capture more Pokémon later. He accidently fell from a cliff to save one of his Pokémon from a flock of Spearow. He was about to enter his first courageous battle to save a friend that he could not see hurt. It was a moment that would change how Azul would view his journey.

"Rouge!" Azul cried out. He grabbed at a Poké Ball and held it out. His hands were trembling at the very thought of battling criminals.

"Azul, run!" Rouge screamed.

"Who's this kid?" One of the female members asked.

Azul didn't know what came over him. He felt a sudden surge of fear, but at the same time felt ready to fight. His heart pumped hard enough that he could feel it in his throat. He was sweating as though he just ran a three mile run. Was he really ready to be brave?

Azul pushed the button on the Poké Ball, releasing his Bulbasaur, Cherry. Cherry looked around the room and saw all of the thugs. She readied herself for a tough battle.

"You really don't want to mess with us, kid." A woman said. She pushed a button on her Poké Ball, releasing a winged, blue Pokémon.

Normally, Azul would scan the Pokémon with his Pokédex, but he did not want to waste any time with this if he wanted to save Rouge.

"Zubat, use Wing Attack!"

"Cherry, dodge, then use Razor Leaf!" Azul ordered quickly.

Zubat flew the air, its wings glowing. It zoomed towards Cherry, but she leapt over it, then released her leaves. The leaves cut into Zubat, sending it to the ground.

Azul was about to make another order before he was grabbed by someone and pulled back. Cherry turned around to attack, but stopped because she could hurt Azul.

"What are you going to do?" the man in black asked Cherry cockily.

Cherry backed up a little bit. She had never thought of hurting Azul. A Pokémon's life was simple. They battled, they evolved, they slept a lot. She never thought she would be in a position where she would have to hurt her trainer. Luckily, she did not have to.

In a blink of an eye, the man and Azul was struck by a lightning attack. The man let go and Azul stumbled forward. Cherry leapt forward, tackling the man to the downstairs.

"Pichibu!" Jaune's Pikachu called out happily.

"There's another kid!" someone screamed.

Two of the thugs ran towards Jaune, hoping to take her hostage just like Rouge, but she was ready for them.

"Thundershock!"

Chiboo released shocks from her cheeks. The shocks stunned the two thugs, forcing them to the ground. Chiboo backed up a little bit, scared at what one of the thugs might do to her.

With the man that held Rouge distracted, Rouge bit onto his arm, forcing him to scream and let her go. She let loose two of her Poké Balls. From one, her Squirtle, Champ, appeared and the other, a small red puppy.

Two of the thugs stepped back and threw two Poké Balls each into the air. Two more Zubat appeared, alongside two Rattata.

"Champ, Water Gun, and Growlithe, Ember!" Rouge ordered. She had seemingly planned out everything in advance.

The Pokémon exchanged attacks. The Zubat were easily thrown back, but the Rattata were quick. They were able to maneuver around the attacks and strike quickly, but Rouge had an attack ready for this.

"Flame Charge!" Rouge screamed.

Growlithe breathed fire from his mouth, setting himself on fire. He lunged forward and tackled the Rattata. The Rattata slid back into the wall, unconscious.

A bigger version of Zubat swooped down and swiped Champ into the air. Dropping Champ, the Pokémon struck Champ with his wings.

Chiboo jumped onto the Pokémon's back and released volts. The Pokémon fell to the ground and crashed hard into one of the cases. Chiboo hopped off and made sure that Champ was okay.

"Go downstairs! You're bound to run into more of them," Rouge called back to Azul.

Azul nodded and ran downstairs. Cherry followed. Jaune stayed upstairs to help out Rouge with the thugs.

Downstairs, the thugs were grabbing ahold of more artifacts, placing them into the bags. One of the biggest thugs had ahold of a scientist. He was trying to interrogate him.

"We need that technology for Team Rocket!" the thug screamed.

"Get away from him!" A voice called. Brock and Jerry burst through the door.

"It's the gym leader!" A voice called out. Azul could not tell if it was a relieved or distressed voice.

Two of the thugs stepped in front of the trainers. They pulled out Poké Balls, releasing a plethora of Zubat. Before they could strike though, Brock released his Geodude, who knocked all of them back.

"Jerry!" Azul yelled. He waved over at Jerry, who ran towards Azul. "It's good to see you!"

"This isn't the best time to be happy. Where's Jaune?" Jerry asked.

"She's safely upstairs. Her and my friend are taking on the guys up there," Azul informed him.

Jerry looked relieved that Jaune seemed okay. He looked around for a battle and quickly found one across the room. Azul was, again, left alone.

One of the thugs threw a Poké Ball into the air. A large, round, purple Pokémon appeared. It had gas emerging from different ends of its body and a wicked smile.

"Koffing, use Tackle!" Its trainer ordered.

"Spearow, use Fury Attack!"

Azul readied his Poké Ball and threw it into the air. Spearow appeared and immediately struck the Pokémon. Both were thrown back slightly, Koffing smashing into a wall.

"Koffing, get back out there and use Sludge!" the thug ordered.

Koffing moved back into the battle wearingly. He took a deep breath, forming all of the spit in mouth to turn into sludge. He let the sludge loose from the holes in his body.

"Spearow, get around it! Then use Peck!"

Spearow easily avoided all of the sludge. She then rammed her beak as hard as she could into Koffing's side, sending the Pokémon into its trainer.

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Rouge and Jaune were beating the thugs easily. After all of their Pokémon were released, things became easier. Rouge had not only a Squirtle and Growlithe, but also a Farfetch'd. Because they were not outside, Diglett could not be used.<p>

"Raticate, use Hyper Fang!" one of the thugs ordered.

"Dodge, and then use Poison Jab!" Rouge countered.

A big furry white ball of a rat leapt at Rouge's Farfetch'd. Farfetch'd easily maneuvered around it, and jabbed at it with his leek. The leek glowed a light purple, signaling that it was poisonous. Raticate fell back from the attack, holding onto his stomach from agonizing pain.

"Growlithe, use Ember!" Rouge called before two Zubat could strike Jaune from behind.

Growlithe leapt into the air and released small searing flames from his mouth. The flames grazed the Zubat, driving them away.

"Thanks, Rouge!" Jaune said with a relieved smile. "Pidgey, Gust!"

Pidgey flew into the air and flapped his wings ferociously. The Zubat were thrown up, then came back crashing down.

Jaune wiped the sweat from her forehead. Never had she thought she would be battling like this. When Professor Oak called upon her to take care of the fourth Pokémon meant for new trainers, she never thought she would run into thugs.

* * *

><p>"Geodude, use Rollout!" Brock called from the laboratory. His Pokémon toppled over the enemies Pokémon with ease.<p>

The thugs were not a real issue by themselves, but together, they were fearsome. They mostly chose small Pokémon like Rattata or Zubat, but there were other Pokémon mixed in there, making it difficult to battle.

Brock was about to make another command before someone grabbed him from behind and held him into the air by his neck.

"I got him! I got the Gym Leader!" The thug cried out happily.

Azul glanced over and saw what was happening. He could not try to save him right now. He had his hands full with other thugs. But what if he did not save him?

A sudden popping noise filled the air and Azul's Pichu appeared from his Poké Ball. He lunged forward at Brock's capture, punching him with a strong ThunderPunch. The keeled over from pain, and Geodude tackled him.

"Pichu!" Azul cried happily. "Does this mean that you'll listen to me now?"

Pichu looked back at Azul and glared.

The doors burst open and a man walked in slowly. The thugs stopped their onslaught and directed their attention at the man.

He had a muscular build, and by his build, looked as though he was in his late-30's. He was cloaked by a trench coat with the hood up, covering his face.

"Our mission has failed. We'll pull out of Pewter," he said with a commanding tone.

Multiple red streams flied through the air, returning all of the Pokémon back into their Poké Balls.

* * *

><p>Jaune and Rouge had been back into a corner. Huddling with their Pokémon, they knew that they could make one last ditch attempt.<p>

One of the thugs lifted his hand to make a command, but was interrupted by a voice that came from his belt.

"This is Commander Red. We are pulling out. I repeat. We are pulling out. Everyone evacuate Pewter!" The voice rang.

The thugs all exchanged looks before nodding and throwing two balls to the ground. The balls burst open, sending smoke into the air. The two girl trainers coughed ferociously. Whenever the smoke cleared, all of the thugs had gone missing.

* * *

><p>Smoke filled the downstairs. Azul moved around, attempting to find his Pokémon.<p>

"Cherry, Spearow, Pichu! Where are you?" he called out.

"Gust!" a familiar voice called.

A strong wind raced through the room, forcing all of the smoke into the outside. All of the thugs had disappeared, but the evidence of their attack had stayed. Displays rested on the ground, most of them destroyed.

Azul looked up to see Jaune's Pidgey. The small bird was blowing away the rest of the smoke.

"Jaune!" Jerry squealed happily. He ran over to her and took her hands. "Jaune, I'm so happy that you're okay!"

Jaune nodded and pulled her hands back. "Yeah, but what about everyone else?"

"I don't think anyone has any serious injuries. I'm glad to say that everyone is okay," Brock informed her, looking over the crowd of people. The museum workers were diligently untying people.

"Who were those guys?" Azul asked. He had finally found his Pokémon. Spearow perched herself on Azul's shoulder, and Cherry stayed by his side. Pichu sat away from the group, pouting that he had only gotten in one punch.

"They are a group called Team Rocket. They are bent on one day controlling the world. It isn't really clear yet," Brock informed.

The group all sat around in silence. It was not until then that Jaune, Azul, and Rouge had all realized that they all could have been killed. Maybe a Pokémon journey was not really right for someone at their age? But then again, who had ever heard of evil organizations rising up and attempting to ruin trainers' journeys? Hopefully, this would only be a one-time deal.

"If it weren't for you three, this could have ended worse. I have to thank you for that," Brock said with a smile on his face. He held out his hand to Azul.

Azul took it weakly and tried to shake it as firm as he could. His soft hands felt weird against Brock's hand. It was odd for a boy to have such soft skin.

"What do you plan on doing next?" Jerry asked. He was inching closer to Jaune every second.

"We'll be heading off to Cerulean! I'm going to get myself another gym badge!" Azul explained.

Jaune smiled and returned her Pokémon into her ball. She tucked them onto her belt and made sure her bag was fasted well enough.

"I'm going to head out now. This was enough adventure for me today, but maybe I can get to a Pokémon Center by nightfall if I leave now," she told the group.

She gave Azul a hug and left quickly. It was as though she had not wanted to be around Azul anymore. This kind of hurt Azul, because he had been friends with her for as long as he could remember.

"Good luck, Azul!" Jerry said with a big toothy grin. "You better win the Indigo League! I'll be cheering you on the whole way!"

Jaune laughed. "That'll require a lot of luck!"

All of the trainers laughed.

* * *

><p>Jaune sat at her desk, staring into a book that she had been trying to get through for the longest time. It was not that very interesting of a book, but it was the best selling book at the time. If she could get through the book then maybe the kids at school would want to talk to her. It would at least give her something to talk about with them.<p>

Someone had knocked on the door and Jaune put her book down. She spun around in her blue rolling chair and peered over at the door.

"Jaune, you have a visitor!" A voice called from the other side. "May he come in?"

_A visitor?_ Jaune wondered. No one had ever come to visit her before. And for what reason would they want to visit her now? She was not popular in school one bit. This could have just been a prank that was in the works.

"Yeah," Jaune responded.

The doorknob twisted, and the door opened. A man, his hair grey, walked through the door. He wore a red polo that he tucked into cream colored khakis, fastened by a belt.

He looked around the mess of a room. Jaune's desk had things scattered all over the place, but it was nothing compared to her room. A hamper sat in the room, only half full, with clothes laying around it like Jaune had only tried to throw them into it, missing and giving up on her first try. Her bed had many blankets scattered about, and at the post, a straw hat hung.

"Hello, Jaune. My name is Professor Oak. How would you like to go on a Pokémon Journey?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN I was thinking about putting chapters ten and eleven together, and I kind of regret not doing it. Do you think that they were long enough separately?**

**Merry Christmas! Or Happy Holidays. I celebrate Christmas so it is Merry Christmas for me. We're posting three chapters up today. Check out Free and Heather's, and Hazel's stories today!**

**Also, we're offering to put up people's stories on our profile that we find awesome! If you think you have a cool story, then give us a shout and we'll check it out! (Please only Pokemon).**


	12. Compete for Jiggles!

After the incident with Team Rocket, Azul and Jaune helped everyone clean up the mess. It did not take them long to do what they could and get on with their journey. They had finally left Pewter and were on their way to Mt. Moon. After what happened in Diglett Cave, they could not go through there, so Mt. Moon was their next destination.

They had only run into a few battles along the way. Azul took up every challenge that he could. His Pokémon had to be stronger for the next time he challenged a gym. If Brock had a secret weapon like Onix, there was no telling what the next gym leader would have.

The scenery on Route 3 was different from anything else they had encountered so far. It was a large valley with patches of taller grass within the area. Around the surrounding area was a mountain area. It was an uphill journey that both trainers could feel in their shins.

"It has definitely been an interesting day, hasn't it, Azul?" Jaune asked once Azul had finished a battle with a young boy.

Azul waved to the boy, who he had beaten easily with his Nidoran. The boy was odd to him, constantly talking about how awesome his shorts were. Azul then turned to answer Jaune's question. He often faded out whenever he would battle.

"It hasn't been a normal day, that's for sure!" He responded with a smile. "But that's what being a Pokémon Trainer is all about!"

The two continued on their path through Route 3. They barely saw any wild Pokémon, probably due to the fact that there were many traveling trainers about.

Jaune had almost given up on looking for a new wild Pokémon for her to look up in her Pokédex before a pink blur ran right past them. The blur hopped into a nearby tree and peeked out slowly, hoping that they had not seen it.

Jaune moved her Pokédex out and scanned it.

"Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokémon. Using its alluring eyes to enrapture its foe, it then sings a pleasing melody that lulls the foe to sleep. Level is 16 and known moves are Sing, Defense Curl, Pound, and Disable," the Pokédex informed her.

"Jigglypuff?" Azul wondered.

"It's so cute!" Jaune squealed. She reached into her bag as fast as she could and grabbed a Poké Ball. "I'm going to capture it!

"Jiggly!" the Pokémon snapped.

"Wait just one second!" a voice screamed angrily from behind them.

The two trainers turned to see a girl who looked like she had been running for awhile. Sweat dripped from her forehead and she breathed heavily. She wore a grey t-shirt along with a miniature cream shirt that was held up with a belt with Poké Balls on it.

"That is _my_ Jigglypuff!" she screamed. She waddled her way to the two trainers and bent over from exhaustion.

"Aw… I was going to try to capture it…" Jaune whined.

The girl glared at her and got into her face. "Well you can't, because I'm going to!"

"Wait, so it's not really yours?" Azul interjected. "Then that means that it's fair game."

"No!" she screamed, making Azul jumped back. He put his hands in front of his face karate style incase she tried to hurt him. "I've been chasing down that Jigglypuff for hours and I'm yet to capture it! I'm not going to let you guys ruin this for me!"

"But it doesn't look like it wants to go with you," Jaune noted, seeing how scared Jigglypuff had looked.

The girl stomped her feet furiously. "It has been playing with me! First it stole my lunch, then it ran away from a Pokémon battle. It only wants attention!"

Jaune sighed and looked over at Azul for advice. Azul shook his head, signaling that he did not know what to say. Jaune would have to be the better person here.

"How about this, you try to capture Jigglypuff now, and if you can't, then I will," Jaune proposed.

The girl's eyes darted around furiously, as though she was thinking over what Jaune had said. She seemed determined to capture this Jigglypuff and Jaune did not want to interfere with that too much, but wild Pokémon capturing is all fair game.

"Deal," the girl said with an irritated look on her face. She grabbed at her belt and pulled off a Pokémon from her side. She pressed the button and expanded the ball before throwing it into the air. A purple, winged Pokémon with bright red eyes and two antennae appeared. It flew through the air happily.

Azul scanned the Pokémon. "Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon and the evolved form of Metapod. In battle, it flaps its wings at high speeds, releasing highly toxic dust into the air. Level is 16 and known moves are Confusion, Gust, PoisonPowder, and Stun Spore."

"I wonder if that is one of the Butterfree that I saw the night I caught Spearow," Azul wondered aloud.

"Come out, Jigglypuff! Before I force you to come out!" the girl screamed angrily.

"Puff!" Jigglypuff responded, sticking out her tongue at the angry trainer.

"I hope that she isn't always like this. I'd feel really bad for Butterfree," Azul mumbled to Jaune, who only laughed.

"That's it! Butterfree, use Gust!"

Butterfree swooped over the tree, flapping her wings as hard as she could. The tree branches blew furiously in the wind, whipping Jigglypuff out of the tree and onto the ground.

"Now, Stun Spore!"

Butterfree flew over Jigglypuff, casting a yellow powder from her wings over Jigglypuff's small body. Jigglypuff looked up into the air and her body froze stiff.

"Poké Ball, go!" she screamed while tossing an empty Poké Ball into the air.

Jigglypuff watched as it got closer, and struggled to move. Before the Poké Ball could get close enough, Jigglypuff smacked it down onto the ground. She leapt back and opened her mouth wide.

In just a few seconds, she began singing a soft and relaxing tune. The noise filled the air, putting everyone at ease. Azul swayed to the rhythm of the song before falling to his knees. He watched as Chiboo fell from Jaune's shoulders, and Jaune hit the ground softly. The last person to fall was the girl, who fell asleep almost instantly. In just the blink of Azul's eyes, he was asleep.

* * *

><p>Jaune cracked an eye open and looked around the area. It was darker than she had remembered, as though the whole day had almost passed. Whenever glancing around for a bit, she quickly took note that the girl, Azul, and their Pokémon were all out cold. She stood up slowly and had her eyes scan over the area. The last thing that she remembered was listening to a soft tune from Jigglypuff, then all was black.<p>

Jaune picked up Chiboo and shook her slightly. Chiboo jolted up and her eyes darted around. She rubbed her eyes with her tiny paws and smiled at Jaune.

"Pichibu!" she cried happily. She ran up Jaune's shoulder and looked at the two other trainers.

"Do you think this is the work of Jigglypuff?" Jaune asked. Chiboo replied by shaking her head.

Jaune put her finger to her mouth and thought for awhile about getting the others awake. From past experiences, waking up Azul was never an easy task if he was comfortable. She did not like the girl, so why would she want to wake her up anyways.

"I have an idea!" Jaune said, snapping her fingers and grinning mischievously. "Chiboo, use Thundershock!"

Chiboo nodded and jumped off of Jaune. She let loose weak electric currents from her body, zapping both trainers. Azul immediately jumped to his feet and looked around, frightened. The girl, on the other hand, stayed on the ground and slowly got back up. She scowled over at Jaune.

"What did you do that for?!" she screamed.

Jaune smiled. "I had to wake you up somehow. Since you failed at getting Jigglypuff, it is my turn!"

"I did not fail at getting Jigglypuff!"

"Then show me your Poké Ball with Jigglypuff," Jaune said calmly. The girl may have captured Jigglypuff before Jaune fell asleep, but Jaune could swear that she saw the girl fall asleep with the group.

The girl's hands darted around her belt, looking for a Poké Ball before she stopped and stamped her feet on the ground.

"Fine! I didn't catch Jigglypuff… I guess it is your turn! But that is if you can find Jigglypuff!"

"I'll find her," Jaune said calmly. "And I have the perfect strategy to capture her too."

With that, Jaune grabbed a Poké Ball from her belt and tossed it into the air. Pidgey burst out of the ball and flew around happily.

"Pidgey, I need you to look for a Jigglypuff. This is what she looks like," Jaune ordered, showing Pidgey a picture of Jigglypuff from her Pokédex.

Pidgey nodded then soared off into the air. Jaune kept a close eye on her and began to follow slowly.

"I'm Alexandra," the girl said quietly. She walked behind the two trainers, hoping and praying that Jaune would not capture Jigglypuff.

"My name is Azul, and this is Jaune! I'm training to become a Pokémon Master!" Azul said happily. He did not really care who caught Jigglypuff. He just wanted to keep moving along and get to Mt. Moon.

"I guess that it is nice to meet you two," Alexandra replied.

The brown blur of Pidgey came soaring back to Jaune. He flapped his wings furiously in front of the trainers, pointing his face forward.

"Did you find Jigglypuff?" Jaune asked eagerly.

Pidgey shook his head and took off. The trainers followed. In little time, the trainers came to a small field of trees. Sure enough, Jigglypuff sat at the bottom of a tree, eating some fruit. She looked up and noticed that the trainers had come back. She immediately shot up and glared.

Jaune walked forward and smiled. "I'm going to capture you Jigglypuff!"

"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff replied, striking a fighting pose.

"Pidgey, use Tackle!" Jaune ordered.

Pidgey swooped down from the sky and smacked into Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff flew back into the tree and slid down slowly.

"Now, Gust!"

Before Pidgey could begin his next attack, Jigglypuff jumped into the air and smacked Pidgey down onto the ground. She then landed right on top of him and began to smack viciously. Pidgey was sent back to Jaune, unconscious.

"What?! No!" Jaune screamed. She pulled out her Poké Ball and returned Pidgey into it.

"I guess this means I'm up again!" Alexander stated, pushing her way in front of Jaune. She already held out a Poké Ball.

"Wait, what?" Jaune yelled. She technically did lose, but she did not want to accept it.

Alexandra opened her Poké Ball to reveal a blue Pokémon that stood on two legs. It had white boxing gloves for hands and a white stomach with a black swirl on it.

"Poliwhirl, the Tadpole Pokémon and the evolved form of Poliwag. Poliwhirl can live in or out of water. When out of water, it constantly sweats to keep its body slimy. Level is 21 and known moves are Body Slam, Hypnosis, Water Gun, and DoubleSlap." Azul's Pokédex announced.

"Poliwhirl, use Water Gun!" Alexandra commanded.

Poliwhirl jumped into the air and released a smooth stream of water from the middle of the swirl on his stomach. The water connected with an unsuspecting Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff flew into the air, but before she could fall back down, she took in a deep breath and inflated. She slowly let herself float down to the ground before striking another battling pose.

"Okay then. DoubleSlap!"

Poliwhirl darted forward, and before Jigglypuff could make a move, Poliwhirl started to slap her around without any sign of stopping. As soon as Poliwhirl stopped, for just one second, Jigglypuff began smacking back, forcing Poliwhirl to step back. Poliwhirl jumped back in front of Alexandra, holding his face.

"Let's finish this with Hypnosis!" Alexandra snapped.

Poliwhirl put his hands on his stomach, which began to glow a different assortment of colors. Jigglypuff focused on the swirl, until her eyes became drooped and she fell to the ground.

"What?!" Jaune spat.

"Go, Poké Ball!"

The Poké Ball connected with Jigglypuff and absorbed the pink Pokémon. It rocked back and forth a few times before letting out its signature, and relieving, soft ding.

Alexandra jumped up and down happily. She ran over to the Poké Ball and picked it up. She raised it into the air and continued to jump up and down.

"I caught a Jigglypuff!" she began to chant.

Jaune smacked her head to her forehead. "Why did I let her even try again? I should've just battled her for it…"

"Oh yeah, because you totally stood a chance," Azul said sarcastically.

Jaune glared at him then glanced over at Alexandra. She could not be too mad that Alexandra had caught Jigglypuff. She did see it first and had made a big deal about capturing it. If Jaune was meant to capture Jigglypuff, then it would have happened, but it did not. Jaune would learn to deal with it.

Azul was just happy that they could get moving on to Mt. Moon again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Did this feel like a filler chapter? I didn't intend for that to be the case. I wanted to showcase more of Jaune. She needs a chapter on occasion.**


	13. A Pokemon Goldmine!

**Azul's Pokemon**

**Cherry (Bulbasaur) (Female) - Ab: Overgrow - Moves: Take Down, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Leech Seed - Level 18**

**Nidoran (Male) - Ab: Poison Point - Moves: Poison Sting, Peck, Focus Energy, and Double Kick - Level 16**

**Spearow (Female) - Ab: Keen Eye - Moves: Peck, Leer, Fury Attack, Pursuit, - Level 15**

**Pichu (Male) - Ab: Static - Moves: Volt Tackle, Thunderpunch, Thundershock, and Quick Attack - Level 17**

* * *

><p>Azul turned on the PC that sat in the corner of the Pokémon Center. He dialed in his information and looked at his Pokémon's stats. As a student, he was advised to look into his Pokémon's stats as much as possible. This was the first time that Azul ever actually had the chance.<p>

Jaune sat at one of the booths by a window, slurping down a milkshake. Chiboo and Pidgey were on opposite shoulders, gazing at the milkshake, drool falling from their mouths.

Azul gazed lazily at the screen, when suddenly it flashed. A telephone appeared on the screen. Below the telephone read the name "Samuel Oak." Azul touched the phone on the screen, turning it to Professor Oak's face.

"Hey, Azul! I was doing some research when I saw that you were logged on! How has your journey been? How many badges have you received? I see that you currently have four Pokémon!" The Professor bombarded Azul with so many questions that he did not know how to respond.

Azul cracked a half smile, saying the only thing that came to mind. "What?"

Oak sighed. He scratched the back of his head. He forgot how slow Azul could be. Then again, he was asking a lot of questions.

"How are you doin'?" Professor Oak asked.

Jaune had finished her milkshake. She left it on the counter with her payment. She made her way over to Azul and smiled when she saw Professor Oak.

"Me and Jaune just ran into a girl who ended up capturing a Pokémon Jaune had wanted. It was fun to watch!" Azul said with a laugh.

"How's Verde doing?" Jaune asked. She knew that it would irritate Azul if they talked about Verde. That would show Azul for teasing her.

"From what I understand, he has already won his second gym badge. He was able to beat both gyms with flying colors," Professor Oak explained. "How has your gym battles gone so far, Azul?"

Azul ground his teeth together. "I beat Brock… I'll be going to Cerulean and challenge that gym leader when I get the chance."

Professor Oak nodded. "I think, with your Pokémon, you'll be great at the next gym. Good luck, Azul!"

"He'll need it!" Jaune laughed. Everyone waved goodbye, and Professor Oak flashed off of the screen.

Azul grabbed his bag and slung it on. Him and Jaune walked out of the Pokémon Center and faced Mt. Moon. They began their short walk to the entrance, before a man stopped them.

He had a pencil thin mustache, a scrawny body, and dressed as though he was from a tropical island. To Jaune, he looked very suspicious.

"Want me to let you in on a little secret, kids?" he asked, holding a flattened palm to his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to talk to stang—" Jaune started.

"Sure!" Azul said, not even acknowledging that Jaune was saying anything.

"For only 500 Poké, I will sell you one of the greatest Pokémon to ever be born!" he whispered. Azul's eyes widened, and the man took that as a sign to continue. "Have you ever heard of the Pokémon Magikarp?"

Azul shook his head, and Jaune smacked her hand against her forehead.

The man grinned. "You see, this Pokémon is a Pokémon _gold mine_…"

"I can't believe you actually bought a Magikarp!" Jaune screamed. A few Zubat that hung from the ceilings were startled and flew away.

It was cold in the cavern. Luckily, they both brought jackets with them, but that did not protect their hands. There were a few dim lights that helped trainers to get through the path. But other than that, the rocky walls were hard to see.

"The dude says that he's special! You're just jealous!" Azul snapped. He looked at his golden Poké Ball and marveled in its beauty.

"You also spent most of our money. How are we suppose to pay for food when we get to Cerulean?" Jaune asked. After she thought about it, she was actually really concerned. "I'm not afraid to eat Magikarp."

"I bought her for the same amount that you spent on Poké Balls whenever we first started. I was just guaranteed a Pokémon. You're risking it!" Azul said with a cocky grin.

"You got ripped off! Why don't you take a look at Magikarp, and then tell me how you feel about him?" Jaune challenged.

Azul batted his eyelashes at Jaune then threw his Poké Ball into the air. His new Pokémon flopped on the ground, helplessly.

"What do you think of him now?" Jaune asked. She had a smug smile on her face.

"It's _so_ cute!" Azul squealed. He ran and grabbed ahold of new Pokémon, who only squirmed around in his arm. "How could you ever think that this girl was a bad idea?"

"It's a Magikarp!" Jaune screamed. "I didn't know that you were this foolish!"

"I think that Magikarp deserves a chance," Azul mumbled. He looked down at his Pokémon and grinned.

"I'm sorry, Azul. Magikarp are known to be useless…"

Jaune pulled out her Pokédex and scanned Magikarp. "Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon. Famous for being very unreliable. It can be found swimming in seas, lakes, rivers and shallow puddles. Level is 15 and known moves are Splash and Tackle," it chimed.

"That's a pretty high level for such a _useless_ Pokémon!" Azul said, mocking Jaune's use of the word useless. "How about this! I battle with Magikarp, and I can beat a wild Pokémon with it, you don't make fun of her anymore?"

Jaune shrugged. "Fine! Prove me wrong! Beat a Pokémon with Magikarp, and I'll accept that he's okay!"

"She!" Azul snapped. He then turned around and looked for a Pokémon to do battle with. "Follow me! There is nothing here, but we'll find something if we keep going!"

Jaune looked up and noticed that there were many Zubat in the air. Azul could have battled any of them, but maybe he was looking for something else. Or he may have honestly not seen any of them.

The two continued down the path, Azul looking around furiously for a Pokémon to battle. Jaune fed little pellets of PokéFood to Chiboo as they watched Azul look around frantically.

"Even if you find a Pokémon, it will have to be really weak you want to beat it with Magikarp," Jaune mumbled.

"That one!" Azul screamed. He threw Magikarp into battle, who just bounced around a little bit. Azul caught the attention of a wild Geodude.

"Oh no…" Jaune whispered.

Geodude lunged forward. He smashed his body into Magikarp, making it fly back to Azul. It bounced around a little bit more.

"Well, let's use Splash!" Azul ordered.

Jaune smacked herself in the face as Magikarp continued to flail on the ground in the same spot.

"Uh, Magikarp, did you hear me?" Azul asked, watching his Pokémon splash on the ground.

"He used the attack," Jaune groaned. "That's what Splash does."

"But nothing happened!" Azul exclaimed, bemused that there actually was a useless attack. Geodude watched the trainer and its flopping Pokémon warily, waiting to attack. "Ah, well, use Tackle!" Azul commanded, changing strategy.

"Karp! Karp!" Magikarp cried, flopping a little until it bounced high enough, landing atop Geodude's head.

Magikarp splashed there for a little while, irritating Geodude. The rock-type frowned and raised a fist to Magikarp, punching the fish off of his head. With a grunt, Geodude rolled himself in a ball and tumbled at Magikarp, making it fly back to Azul's feet where it began to flop around once more.

"Tackle again! Don't give up, girl!" Azul cheered.

Magikarp bounded higher, ramming into Geodude. Picking up a rock, Geodude prepared to toss it at Magikarp.

"Tackle!" Azul called again.

Geodude tossed the rock, smashing it into Magikarp's face. Magikarp was sent tumbling back to Azul again. After a few gasping breaths, Magikarp fainted.

"No, Magikarp!" Azul cried, kneeling down to catch the Pokémon. The fish no longer flopped around. He returned the Pokémon as Geodude pushed himself away with his hands into a dark corner of the cave, not willing to battle Azul further.

"See, what did I tell you?" Jaune teased Azul. "Told you he was a useless Pokémon. You really did get ripped-off"

"She! Magikarp is a she!" Azul screeched, causing Magikarp to wake up. "And it's not her fault—I just got her. She's probably not used to my battling style yet. Plus, that Geodude was probably, like, level 30. So really, she did great! If Geodude would have stuck around just a little longer, we would have beaten him. Magikarp is ready to battle again, see? She's as strong as ever!"

Jaune stared blankly at Azul for a moment, who was now presenting his Magikarp to her on one knee. She stifled a giggle at his excuses for Magikarp and helped him to his feet, brushing some dirt off of his pants as she did so. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement. Jaune pointed at the Pokémon and spoke, "If that's what you really think, Azul, then how about battling that Pokémon there?"

"Where?" Azul asked, searching the cave floor. All he saw was Zubat droppings and the rocky ground. He looked on the ceiling next, seeing only water dripping down the walls and onto the ground. "I don't see anything."

"There!" Jaune grasped his cheeks and turned his head in the correct direction.

A scuttling noise came from behind a boulder, and a Paras peeked out from behind the large rock. Paras hissed at the trainers. Azul gasped, placing Magikarp on the ground. He then whipped out his Pokédex, pointing it at the mushroom-backed Pokémon.

"Paras, the Mushroom Pokémon. Paras burrows to suck tree roots. The mushrooms on its back grow by drawing nutrients from the bug host. Level is 13 and known moves are Cut, Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, and Leech Life," his Pokédex chimed.

"Alright, Magikarp! It's time to go another round!" Azul shouted, his voice echoing off the cave walls. Magikarp gasped in reply. "We're going to defeat that little mushroom-bug and capture her!"

"Paras… Paras…" Paras chanted, waving her front legs in front of her as if saying "bring it on!"

"Magikarp, Tackle!" Azul shouted.

Magikarp splashed twice before jumping into the air, trying to land on Paras. Sidestepping, Paras' front legs began to glow white, and she slashed at Magikarp who flopped in front of her.

"That was her Cut attack," Azul said to himself. "Okay, Magikarp, try another Tackle!"

Bouncing, Magikarp splashed on top of Paras, causing her to grow angry as Geodude had. She reached up with her front legs, now glowing green, and jabbed them into Magikarp, draining energy from it.

"Don't let her get you, Magikarp!" Azul yelled.

Magikarp rolled away from Paras, landing on its opposite side. It didn't splash as well on its other side. Jaune noticed, and she started to laugh.

"This isn't the time to be laughing," Azul pouted, talking to his friend. "You're just jealous that she can still be fighting. Tackle, again!"

"Karp!" Magikarp replied, throwing its body at Paras. The attack was more forceful than the last few, and Azul silently cheered as Magikarp became stronger.

"Paras!" Paras cried, charging at Magikarp with white legs. The Pokémon swiped at Azul's, smacking it back into a cave wall.

"Tackle!" Azul ordered for what seemed like the millionth time to him. Magikarp bounced, hitting Paras square on.

"Paras!" the Pokémon shouted once more, before rolling into a ball.

"Now it's time to capture you." Azul rummaged for an empty Poké Ball. When he found one, he tossed it at the defeated Pokémon. The ball rocked four times before it let out a soft "ding." After returning Magikarp, Azul approached the ball and held it to his chest, whispering to it, "I'm going to call you Sarah, okay?"

"Sarah?" Jaune asked, looking utterly perplexed. "You get weirder every day, Azul."

"Ha!" Azul laughed, pointing a finger at Jaune. "I beat a Pokémon with my Magikarp. She helped me catch Sarah! You were wrong, and I was right! She isn't useless! In fact, she proved to be very useful."

Jaune sighed and fiddled with her hat. "Yeah, I guess. But, again, Magikarp is a _he_."

"Don't listen to her," Azul said to Magikarp's Poké Ball. "She didn't think you were going to be so great, but I proved her wrong! She's just angry."

Jaune sighed. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN And we update this story! I want to get to at least Chapter 20 by October. But to do that, I'll need encouragement! We will try to get Johto done for Free and Heather's story, and this story will take a lot longer. There are 100 chapters planned for it.**

**Magikarp (Unknown) - Ab: Swift Swim - Moves: Splash and Tackle - Level 16**

**Sarah (Paras) (Female) - Ab: Effect Spore - Moves: Cut, Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, and Leech Life - Level 14**

**A/N2 We named Paras 'Sarah' as an inside joke. One reason is that Sarah kind of looks like Paras spelled backwards. It's also my mom's name.**


	14. Azul's Hardest Challenge!

**Azul's Pokemon**

**Cherry (Bulbasaur) (Female) - Ab: Overgrow - Moves: Take Down, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Leech Seed - Level 21**

**Nidoran (Male) - Ab: Poison Point - Moves: Poison Sting, Horn Attack, Focus Energy, and Double Kick - Level 19**

**Spearow (Female) - Ab: Keen Eye - Moves: Peck, Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, Pursuit, - Level 18**

**Pichu (Male) - Ab: Static - Moves: Volt Tackle, Thunderpunch, Thundershock, and Quick Attack - Level 20**

**Magikarp (Unknown) - Ab: Swift Swim - Moves: Splash and Tackle - Level 18**

**Sarah (Paras) (Female) - Ab: Effect Spore - Moves: Cut, Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, and Leech Life - Level 17**

* * *

><p>Mt. Moon had taken the two trainers longer than they had hoped. It had been almost an entire week since Azul bought Magikarp and caught Paras.<p>

It was a relief to the trainers to see light once more. After the week in the cave, they had almost forgotten what the sun had looked like.

The two wasted no time going through Route 4, power walking through the small route. They had hardly taken any note of what it looks like, only paying attention to the stone path that they had to walk on.

Cerulean City was a new site for them, being much different than Pewter. Many buildings were placed in what felt like a maze , almost as though they had just been randomly built. One building, built like a football stadium or a museum, was placed off to the side of the city. It was big enough to look over the entire city.

Jaune flipped through her guidebook and grinned. "That's the Cerulean City Gym!"

"So, that's my next conquest!" Azul said with a wide grin.

The city felt quiet. Not as quiet as Pewter was, but quiet for a big city. Hardly any vehicles filled the streets, and pedestrians weren't to be seen anywhere. Jaune noticed this, while Azul was too busy going over his strategy with the gym leaders. He knew nothing about them, but he felt that making a strategy for any situation would help him.

After half an hour of walking through the city, they had finally reached the dome shaped building. Azul approached the glass doors and peered through. He pushed them open lightly and walked in. Cheers filled the air, confusing Azul but piquing his interest in what was going on. The two walked in, and the cheers became louder.

"Are you sure that we're in the gym?" Azul asked while the two climbed a set of stairs. They came to a balcony that overlooked the entire stadium. A giant tank of water sat in the middle of the field, showcasing a few water Pokémon dancing around. In the stands, crazy fans, especially children, were screaming.

Jaune flipped through her notebook, overlooking everything that was in there for Cerulean City. "Yeah, I'm positive. We may have just come in on one of their shows. It's how they make extra money to run such an expensive gym. They put on musicals and whatnot."

"But I want my gym battle!"

Jaune shook her head. "When they do this, they won't be open for another day. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

Azul stuck out his tongue and turned to walk down the stairs. Jaune hurriedly followed him. "Then I'll have to do some training!"

"The best place to train is Nugget Bridge," Jaune explained.

Azul nodded, and the two made their way north. They came to a forested area, a stream to their side. Jaune smiled as she looked into the water and at the water Pokémon. Azul gazed down the giant bridge. He had heard stories of many trainers that are looking for battles on Nugget Bridge. If that was the case, he would get in a lot of battling.

He took one step before a soft voice stopped him from continuing. "You may not want to train there," the voice said.

Azul and Jaune glanced over and met eyes with a girl that was the same age as them. She had a calm expression on her face, making her dark blue eyes look emotional. Her black hair fell in her face, almost hiding her eyes. The wind moved her striped, purple and black fleece jacket back and forth. Black short shorts were held up by a singular, purple suspender, the other suspender hanging at her side.

"Why not?" Azul asked.

The girl walked closer and glanced down the bridge. "I already beat all of the people here. They won't be able to battle today."

"Is there anything that I can do today?" Azul screeched.

Jaune laughed. She reached her hand out to the girl, who grabbed her hand lightly. "My name is Jaune. And this doof is Azul."

"Lilla Morado," the girl said calmly. She smiled at Azul, who glanced over at her. Lilla blushed and looked away. "Well, if you'd like to train a bit, you can always battle me. I've been looking for a full battle."

"Full battle?" Azul asked. "But I haven't anything to eat today. I'm empty."

"A full battle is a 6-on-6 battle," Jaune said, correcting Azul's obvious mistake.

Azul grinned. "Oh! I have six really strong Pokémon! I'd love to battle you!"

"That's what I like to hear! All of the Nugget Bridge members were weak! Maybe you'll actually be a challenge," Lilla said. She drew out a Poké Ball, and Azul did the same.

"Go, Magikarp!"

Magikarp appeared and flopped around. Azul took this as Magikarp trying to intimidate his foe.

"Magikarp, eh?" Lilla wondered. "I'll be using Sandshrew!"

From Lilla's Poké Ball, a light brown Pokémon appeared, curled into a ball. It uncurled and yawned, taking in Magikarp.

"Shrew?"

"Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon. Sandshrew burros deep underground in arid locations far from water. It only emerges to hunt for food. Level is 19, and known moves are Defense Curl, Poison Sting, Scratch, and Rollout," Azul's Pokédex read.

"Alright, Magikarp, let's use Tackle!"

"Defense Curl," Lilla ordered.

Magikarp bounced into the air, aiming for Sandshrew. But Sandshrew was quick. She rolled into a ball, and Magikarp smacked against her, its attack failing.

"Now, Scratch!"

Before Azul could take in what was happening, Sandshrew unrolled and slashed at Magikarp. Magikarp flew back, flailing on the ground from pain.

"Magikarp!" Azul screamed.

"Rollout!" Lilla ordered.

Once again, Sandshrew turned into a ball. She flung her body forward, smashing herself into Magikarp. Magikarp fell to the ground in a heap, no longer squirming.

Azul lifted his Poké Ball and returned Magikarp. Without hesitation, he threw out his next Poké Ball. Spearow appeared, angry as usual.

"Peck!" Azul called.

Spearow shifted her body and dived for Sandshrew. She bounced off of her, Sandshrew's defense being to strong to crack.

"Poison Sting!" Lilla ordered, her calm demeanor still strong.

Sandshrew stopped spinning and released poisonous needles from her mouth. The needles pierced into Spearow, making her fall from the sky. She landed onto the ground with a hard _thud_.

"Rollout," Lilla said.

Sandshrew jumped into the air, and rolled into a ball. She flung her body down the field at Spearow.

"Into the air!" Azul cried desperately.

Spearow mustered up as much strength as she could, and she jolted into the sky, avoiding Sandshrew.

"Aerial Ace!"

Spearow's beak started to glow, and she flung herself at Sandshrew. They collided with one another, both being flung back. When the dust cleared, only one Pokémon stood.

"No!" Azul called. He lowered his head and returned Spearow. "It's up to you, Cherry."

Azul's Bulbasaur nodded and ran onto the field. She glared at Sandshrew, knowing that this could be a rough battle.

"Razor Leaf!" Azul ordered.

Cherry nodded and leaves bellowed from her bulb.

"Continue Rollout!" Lilla called. Azul could clearly see that she was one hundred percent confident.

Sandshrew took on the Razor Leaf directly. Each of the leaves bounced off with ease, and she continued towards Cherry.

"Leech Seed!"

Cherry let a pink seed blow from her bulb. The seed connected with Sandshrew and immediately sprouted vines, wrapping themselves around Sandshrew. But the strong Pokémon continued.

Azul had to think quick, knowing that Rollout was only getting stronger. "Throw 'em with Vine Whip!"

Cherry wrapped her vines around Sandshrew, finally stopping her attack. She twisted her body and tossed Sandshrew into the air. She unrolled from her ball and stared, frightened from the fall.

"Now, finish this with Take Down!" Azul ordered.

Cherry bounded forward. And as Sandshrew was falling, the Bulbasaur smashed her body into her. Sandshrew slid across the ground and stopped at Lilla's feet, unable to get back up.

Lilla smiled and returned Sandshrew. "Is that Bulbasaur your starter Pokémon, by chance?"

Azul nodded. "Yep! Cherry is one of my best friends!"

Lilla grinned. "Then I'll use my starter Pokémon. C'mon out, Charm!"

From her Poké Ball, a brown, quadruped appeared. It smiled up at Azul as he scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Its genetic code is irregular. It may mutate if it is exposed to radiation from elemental stones. Level is 22, and known moves are Quick Attack, Shadow Ball, Bite, Dig, and Iron Tail."

"I've never heard of a Pokémon knowing more than four moves," Azul noted out loud.

"Give your Pokémon enough attention, they can learn an infinite amount of moves!" Lilla said happily.

"Awesome! Cherry, use Razor Leaf!"

Cherry nodded and released her attack.

"Charm, Quick Attack!" Lilla called calmly.

Charm nodded and dashed through the leaves, easily avoiding every single one. She reached Cherry in a matter of seconds, and before Azul could realize what had happened, Lilla made her next command.

"Iron Tail!"

Charm swung her body around, smashing her iron hard tail into Cherry's jaw. Cherry flew across the field, landing onto the cold ground, a mark on her face.

"Cherry!" Azul and Jaune cried.

"Dig!" Lilla ordered.

_She's taking advantage of everything. She doesn't waste a single second. I stand no chance against her if I can't think fast,_ Azul screamed in his head.

"Do something, Azul!" Jaune screeched.

Azul nodded. "Vine Whip!"

"Bite!"

Eevee blew up from the ground, and instantly grabbed ahold of Cherry's vines. She swung her head, tossing Cherry into the air.

"Finish this with an Iron Tail!"

Before Cherry could hit the ground, Charm darted forward, her tail turning to silver.

"Razor Leaf on the ground!" Azul screamed desperately.

Cherry complied, sending a plethora of leaves into the ground, digging up dirt and tossing it everywhere. Charm stopped in her tracks, trying to look through the smoke.

"Spin and use Shadow Ball!" Lilla ordered, not wavering in strategy even in the smoke.

From the smoke, many black energy balls blew.

"Vine Whip!"

Cherry let loose her vines, blocking some of the balls. Others were able to break through, pelting her in the face.

"Take Down!" Azul called.

Still waving her vines around, Cherry bounded forward. She entered the wavering smoke and checked Charm.

Lilla smiled, Azul walking into her trap. "Quick Attack into Iron Tail!"

Charm did as told. She raced forward, smacking her body into Cherry before turning around and using Iron Tail as hard as she could. Cherry fell back at Azul's feet.

"Cherry…" Azul mumbled. He grabbed ahold of her and handed her off to Jaune. "We'll beat her. I promise…"

"I'll give you this, Azul. You are much better than a lot of the people on Nugget Bridge. Bulbasaur put up a major challenge," Lilla complimented. "But if that was your most powerful Pokémon, you may want to forfeit so no more of your Pokémon get hurt."

Azul smiled. "I haven't even got started yet! Let's go, Pichu!"

Pichu appeared out of his Poké Ball and crossed his arms. He glared at Azul, who desperately wanted him to listen.

"Quick Attack!" Lilla ordered, not wasting any time.

Pichu glanced over at the charging Eevee and smiled. His hand turned to sparks, and he swung at Charm.

"Dodge!" Lilla called.

Charm jumped over Pichu and prepared for her next attack.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Pichu, watch out!"

Charm unleashed her attack, exploding on contact with Pichu. Pichu slid against the ground, glaring at the Pokémon.

"A Pokémon as strong as Pichu…" Jaune mumbled.

"Thunderbolt!" Azul ordered.

Pichu shook his head and bounded forward, his body becoming surrounded by electricity. Charm easily moved around him, making Pichu stop in front of Azul.

"You should've listened to me!" Azul snapped.

Pichu shook his head again and zapped Azul slightly. He then turned around and charged again at Eevee, a white streak of light following him. He smashed his body into Charm, tossing her back.

Azul scratched the back of his head. "That hurt, Pichu…"

"Pichu!" Azul's Pokémon cried while he shot electricity from his coat. It zapped into Charm, who pulled back slightly.

Lilla lifted her Poké Ball and returned Charm. "I'll use you if I need you, but I want to try out someone else."

"What? Too scared to battle my Pichu?" Azul asked, acting like he had full control over his Pokémon.

Lilla smiled. "Actually, I just want to use a different Pokémon. After examining your Pichu's fighting method, I'm sure that Charm could take him."

"What?" Azul squealed.

"Pichu!"

The fact that she was able to remain so calm annoyed him the most. When Verde would say something like that, it was to make Azul mad. Lilla truly believed what she said, and that's what made Azul feel worse.

"But maybe Pichu has a chance against my Ditto," Lilla said, tossing out her Poké Ball. A pink blob of a jelly like substance appeared.

"Ditto, the Imposter Pokémon. Ditto are capable of copying an enemy's genetic code to instantly transform itself into a duplicate of the enemy. Level is 19, and only known move is Transform."

"That sounds weak…" Azul mumbled.

"Ditto, Transform!" Lilla ordered.

"Ditto!" the pink blob cried out while glowing white. It suddenly shifted and changed its form to match Pichu's.

"What the?" Azul wondered.

"Were you not paying attention to what your Pokédex said?" Jaune asked, not surprised as to how forgetful Azul was.

"Oh yeah… Pichu, use ThunderPunch!"

"Pichu!" the Pokémon snapped. He dashed forward, his body covered in lightning.

"Not Volt Tackle! You'll hurt yourself!"

"Ditto, ThunderPunch!"

Ditto nodded. "Dichu!" He lowered his tiny arm and swung it at the oncoming Pichu. Pichu was knocked onto his back, but was able to muster enough strength to stand back up.

"Pichu, you have to listen to me!" Azul screamed.

Pichu shook his head and released volts from his body. The volts raced for the faux Pichu, but Lilla was ready.

"Quick Attack," she ordered.

"Pitto!" It cried, easily moving around the electricity. It spun and smashed its body into Pichu's, making Pichu sink into the ground.

"No…" Azul murmured. He lifted his Poké Ball and returned his fallen Pokémon. "I can't believe that Pichu lost…"

"You can forfeit if you need to," Lilla said calmly.

"No!" Azul snapped. "I still have two really strong Pokémon!" He tossed out his next Poké Ball revealing his Paras, Sarah.

"Paras!" she said happily.

Lilla returned Ditto and threw out another ball. A purple, thin, snake-Pokémon with a single golden ring below his head appeared.

"Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. They move silently and stealthily. It eats the eggs of birds, such as Pidgey and Spearow, whole. Level is 20, and known moves are Wrap, Poison Sting, Bite, and Acid."

"Another challenge," Azul whispered. "Sarah, use Cut!"

Sarah scuttled forward as quickly as she could and took a swipe at Ekans with her claw.

"Wrap."

In an instant, Ekans shot his long body around Paras, completely wrapping himself around the small Pokémon.

"Now squeeze," Lilla said softly.

Ekans did as told, wringing his body as hard as he could. Paras let out a cry, scaring Azul.

"You have to do something!" Jaune screamed.

"Sarah, Stun Spore!"

From the mushrooms on Sarah's back, a yellow powder emerged. It blew over Ekans, freezing him and stopping the bind.

"Now, get out of there with another Cut!"

Sarah twisted her body as fast as she could, and sliced at Ekans. Ekans fell back, releasing his hold on Paras. She waddled away, taking in deep breaths.

"Bite!" Lilla ordered.

Ekans nodded and shot forward, he gripped his teeth onto Sarah and threw her into the sky. She landed onto the hard ground and rolled over, sticking her legs into the air.

"That's five down," Jaune whimpered.

"Chiboo…"

Sarah succumbed the red light, and Azul let his arm fall. He couldn't believe it. He had only been able to take down one of her Pokémon, and it wasn't easy. Then the other Pokémon that was faced with were too strong. He had never faced an opponent like this before.

His hand shook with his last Pokémon's ball gripped tightly. With a flick of his hand, his Nidoran was revealed.

"So, this is your last Pokémon. I hope it gives me a challenge," Lilla said with a smile.

"Double Kick!"

Nidoran nodded and jumped forward. Ekans tried to move, but the paralysis kicked in, and Nidoran was able to get in a few blows. Ekans spun on the ground and was able to regroup himself.

"Horn Attack!" Azul ordered, hoping to gain momentum in the very least.

Nidoran stamped his feet and lunged forward, his horn glowing white.

"I can only be effective with two attacks. I'll make due with what I have," Lilla noted out loud. "Wrap!"

Ekans shot his body and wrapped himself completely around Nidoran. He began to squeeze, and Nidoran started to struggle.

"Double Kick the ground!" Azul called.

Nidoran stopped struggling for a second and kicked at the ground as hard as he could, sending both Pokémon into the air. From the commotion, Ekans uncoiled.

"Now, Horn Attack!" Azul screamed.

Nidoran, using the momentum from the air, dove into Ekans. Both Pokémon crashed into the ground, making dust fly into the air. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon laid lifeless.

"Nidoran…" Azul mumbled. He walked forward and grabbed ahold of his small Pokémon, careful to not get close to Ekans. "You did awesome…"

"That was a great battle, Azul," Lilla said returning her Pokémon. "You'll make a fine trainer someday."

"Are you mocking me?" Azul snapped. Lilla looked taken aback.

"Azul," Jaune scolded.

"I'm not mocking you. You are a fantastic battler. How many gym badges do you have?" Lilla asked. She began to fiddle with her bangs and blush.

Azul sighed. "I only have one…"

"Oh… Well, then you have good reason to not be upset. I have three badges," Lilla explained.

"Three?" Azul said, his mouth agape.

"Yeah. And with your skills, I'm sure you can win three in no time," Lilla said with a soft smile. She pet Nidoran softly. "The best thing that you can do is learn from your losses. You'll only get better."

Azul sighed. "But I've never lost so badly…"

Lilla smiled and avoided Azul's stare. She took her hand off of Nidoran and turned. "I've said what I need to say. I hope that we meet again, Azul and Jaune. May you find luck on your journey." She fastened her backpack and was on her way, eventually disappearing from the duo's view.

"What are you thinking about?" Jaune asked Azul while she was preparing her blankets.

Azul stared out of the Pokémon Center window. The sun was setting and he tried to hold back tears.

"My battle…" he said, letting a few tears flow. "I can't believe how bad I was…"

"You weren't bad," Jaune said. "She was just really good."

"Bulba…" Cherry cooed, nestling her nose against Azul's shin. "Bulbasaur…"

"I think that she's letting you know that everything is okay," Jaune said with a smile.

"Pichibu!" Chiboo cried happily.

"You think so, Cherry?" Azul wondered. Cherry nodded. "Well, if you think so, then I should too! How about this, tomorrow, we'll go to the Cerulean Gym and win ourselves another badge?!"

"Bulba!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN Pretty lengthy chapter! And now we introduce Lilla! Azul's newest rival. I personally loved the battle. It was different for me to write. I'm so used to making everything even, so this was a change. Next chapter, he faces off against the Cerulean Gym Leader! Then they spend a little bit more time in Cerulean.**

**Peace! JohtoBlue**


	15. The Lazy Challenge

**Azul's Pokemon**

**Cherry (Bulbasaur) (Female) - Ab: Overgrow - Moves: Take Down, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Leech Seed - Level 23**

**Nidoran (Male) - Ab: Poison Point - Moves: Poison Sting, Horn Attack, Focus Energy, and Double Kick - Level 21**

**Spearow (Female) - Ab: Keen Eye - Moves: Peck, Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, Pursuit, - Level 20**

**Pichu (Male) - Ab: Static - Moves: Volt Tackle, Thunderpunch, Thundershock, and Quick Attack - Level 23**

**Magikarp (Unknown) - Ab: Swift Swim - Moves: Splash and Tackle - Level 20**

**Sarah (Paras) (Female) - Ab: Effect Spore - Moves: Cut, Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, and Leech Life - Level 19**

* * *

><p>Azul yawned, walking out of the Pokémon Center. Squinting in the morning light, he stretched his arms and smiled down at his Bulbasaur, Cherry. "Are you ready, buddy? We finally get out next gym battle today!"<p>

"Bulba…"

"Wait up!" Jaune cried as she ran out, holding her hat to her head so it would not fly off. "You should've waited for me!"

"I can't wait! I want my gym battle now!" Azul snapped. He smiled, and she nodded before they took off.

Azul had easily memorized the route to the gym, so it only took them a matter of minutes to get there. Azul froze at the gym doors. He glanced up and down, taking in the sights once more.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked. Her Pikachu glanced over at Azul and tipped her head to the side.

"Yeah," Azul replied, taking in a deep breath. "I just have a lot riding on this."

He pushed the doors open and walked through the hallway. After crossing the staircase, they came to the giant pool. Sitting to the side was a teenager with long, blonde hair. Her bare skin, tanned by the sun was revealed, only being covered up by a yellow bathing suit.

"Um…excuse me," Azul mumbled.

The girl looked up, her red glasses falling off of her face. "Yes?"

"I'm looking for the gym leader. Do you know where I could find her?" he asked.

The girl nodded and wave a hand at the boy. "Right here! Are you here for a battle?" Azul nodded, and the girl huffed. "There is a bucket of badges over there. You can take one and go."

"What?" Azul screeched. "No way!"

"You don't want the badge?" she asked.

"No, I do. But not this way," he answered. "Don't we have to battle?"

She sighed. "Are you serious? I was just relaxing." Azul tried to say something, but she interrupted him before. "I guess we can…" She stood up and walked leisurely to the other side of the pool. After pushing a button, three small lands appeared out of the pool.

Azul walked to his trainer's box and stared out at his opponent.

"What are you waiting for?" the blonde teenager asked.

Azul sighed. "Um…a referee. I don't even know your name."

"We won't have a referee. The rules will be, like, two on two," the girl snapped. "And my name is Daisy."

"That all works for me!"

"I guess I'll go first," Daisy huffed. She threw her Poké Ball into the water. A star shaped, yellow Pokémon blew out of the water and landed on one of the small strips of land.

"They can use the water, so we'll use the air!" Azul said. He tossed his Poké Ball into the air. Spearow emerged and cawed, trying to intimidate her Pokémon.

"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. An enigmatic Pokémon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle. Level is 24 and known moves are Recover, Water Gun, BubbleBeam, and Rapid Spin."

"You have the first move," Daisy said calmly. Azul was surprised. His opponent already seemed bored.

"Fury Attack!"

Spearow jolted down at Staryu.

"Block it!" Daisy ordered. "Rapid Spin!"

Staryu started spinning, knocking Spearow out of the air. She landed on one the small islands, angered by her failed attack.

"Darn…" Azul mumbled. "Let's try Pursuit!"

Spearow nodded and lunged forward, a black energy coming from her beak. But before she could get close, Staryu started to spin yet again. It smashed into Spearow, tossing her to the water.

"Spearow!" Azul screamed. "I don't want to use Aerial Ace yet…"

"What are you mumbling to yourself? Trying to think of some sort of strategy?" Daisy asked.

Spearow fluttered out of the water and screeched. She glared at Staryu, hating the emotionless Pokémon.

"Peck!" Azul ordered.

The flying-type flew into the air, jabbing its beak into Staryu's jewel. The Pokémon twisted back before flying forward. It smashed into Spearow once more, throwing the Pokémon back.

"Water Gun!" Daisy called.

Staryu pointed one of its limbs forward, water blowing from it. It smashed into the flying-type, sending her to the water.

"Spearow!" the Pokémon squawked at her trainer, telling him he needed to think of something else, and fast.

"Fine!" Azul snapped back. He pointed at Staryu. "Aerial Ace!"

Spearow cried out happily, jetting forward. She smashed into Staryu, flinging her back.

"Awesome! Keep it going!" Azul ordered happily.

Spearow rounded back, readying to attack. She continuously jabbed into Staryu, tossing the Pokémon into the wall.

"Into the water!" Daisy commanded.

Staryu dove into the water, avoiding any more damage. If Daisy did not do something quick, Nidoran and Azul would defeat her star-shaped Pokémon.

"Now, Recover!" Daisy said, smiling.

Staryu started to glow, the light shining through the water. After a moment of being underwater, it shot back into the air. Water dripped off its shining body, falling like raindrops back into the pool.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Bubblebeam!"

Spearow flung herself forward, but before she could connect, Staryu released the bubbles. The powerful beam of bubbles stopped Spearow, blinding her as she flew towards her opponent.

"One more time!" Daisy called.

More of the menacing bubbles emerged, popping all over Spearow. The flying-type fell to one of the lands, unable to get back up.

"Dang," Azul mumbled, returning his Pokémon.

"You can always forfeit," Daisy said, yawning.

"No!" Azul snapped. "C'mon out, Nidoran!

Nidoran landed on one of the lands and stretched. He took sight of Staryu and prepared for battle.

"Fine then…" Daisy groaned. "Use Rapid Spin…"

"Nidoran, hold your ground!"

Nidoran waited, Staryu only getting closer.

"Poison Sting!"

As soon as Staryu came in close, Nidoran ducked and jabbed his horn into its back. Staryu was thrown into the air before retreating back into the water.

"Good! Recover!" Daisy ordered.

"Dangit!" Azul yelled. "We have to find a way around this! Nidoran, use Focus Energy!"

As Staryu shone in the water, illuminating it, Nidoran focused. A red tint glowed around his body.

"Bubblebeam!" Daisy called.

Staryu blew out of the water before unleashed its fierce attack. Nidoran was thrown back, landing into the water. He struggled, trying to swim to one of the islands.

Daisy smiled, seeing her opening. "Good! Let's finish this with Rapid Spin!"

Staryu flung its body forward, seemingly tearing into the water.

"Double Kick!" Azul cried.

Nidoran waited and kicked frantically when Staryu came into reach. His hind legs collided with the water-type, breaking the red jewel in the middle of its body. It fell back onto one of the lands in a heap.

"I guess that means I'm down to one more…" Daisy mumbled. She lifted her Poké Ball and returned Staryu. Glancing up, she noticed Nidoran moving back onto one of the lands, exhausted from the battle. "But it looks like I won't have to do much!"

"Nidoran is strong! He can beat you!" Azul snapped.

Daisy huffed and tossed her Poké Ball into the water. A small, white Pokémon appeared, clapping its small fins together.

"Seel, the Sea Lion Pokémon. The protruding horn on its head is very hard. It is used for bashing through thick ice. Level is 26 and known moves are Ice Shard, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring, and Headbutt," Azul's Pokédex chimed.

"Her levels are amazing…" Azul groaned.

Being impatient, Daisy piped up. "If you're going to talk to yourself, I'll start! Seel, Ice Shard!"

"Dodge, Nidoran!" Azul yelled.

Seel opened his mouth, a ball of ice forming. He let it loose, freezing over some of the water. Nidoran attempted to jump out of the way, but the ball connected with his leg. He fell back to his island, his leg frozen.

"Fight through it! Use Horn Attack!" Azul ordered, ignoring his Pokémon's pain.

Nidoran winced, bounding forward as fast as he could. His speed was slowed, the ice getting in the way.

"Perfect," Daisy said with a sly smile. "Water Pulse!"

Seel put his tiny arms into the air, a ball of water appearing. When Nidoran came in close, he tossed it into the water. The ball exploded, causing a small tidal wave to appear. The wave engulfed Nidoran, washing over him. When the wave disappeared, Nidoran staggered around the ice.

"He's confused, Azul!" Jaune informed her friend. "You can't win! You have to give up!"

"I can still do this!" Azul snapped. He looked over at his Pokémon, not knowing what he should do.

Daisy smiled. "I'll just end it. Ice Shard!"

"Seel!" the Pokémon cried, another ball of ice appearing in his mouth, this one larger than the last. The ball blasted out of Seel's mouth, connecting with Nidoran. The horn Pokémon flew into the water, struggling to get out.

"He's too confused to get out! Just throw in the towel," Jaune cried.

Azul gritted his teeth, watching his Pokémon struggle. He hesitantly lifted his Poké Ball and returned Nidoran. "I forfeit…"

Daisy laughed. "How weak! Come back when, like, you learn how to battle!"

Azul let his hat's brim fall above over his face, tears pooling in his eyes. He turned around and took off, running away from Daisy's cruel laugh.

"Azul, wait!" Jaune yelled after Azul. He had already almost disappeared, running in a familiar direction.

"Chibu!"

When Jaune had finally caught up with Azul, he was standing by the Nugget Bridge. He fell to his knees, dropping all six of his Poké Balls.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I can't believe that I lost again! That was two losses in a row…" he said, tears falling from his cheeks.

"That isn't so bad. People lose all the time," Jaune replied. "And they were really strong."

"No! I was just weak!"

Azul's Poké Balls began to shake and rattle, and all six of his Pokémon emerged in a flash of white light, surrounding him but keeping their distance.

"You can leave…" he mumbled.

"Bulba?" Cherry wondered. She looked around at the other Pokémon, all as confused as she was. Pichu folded his arms and scowled.

"I'm releasing all of you. You deserve a better trainer," Azul explained.

"Pichu!" the Pokémon replied as if agreeing.

Bulbasaur moved one of her vines from her bulb and softly touched Azul's cheek. "Bulba…"

"Just go!" Azul screamed, trying to shove Cherry's vines away.

The Pokémon stood still. Magikarp squirmed, but flopped its way over to Azul. It snuggled up into his thigh. Spearow followed, flying and landing on Azul's head. Nidoran jumped forward, nuzzling his face into Azul's stomach. Sarah, his Paras, scuttled her way over and rested one of her claws on his hand. Bulbasaur followed suit, removing her vine from his face, and resting her head on Azul's lap. The trainer looked up, catching Pichu's eye. Pichu sighed and walked forward. He stuck out his arm and tapped Azul, letting him know he was still there with him.

"You…you guys will stay with me?"

The Pokémon, even Pichu, nodded. Tears fell poured from Azul's eyes. He reached out and pulled all of his Pokémon close, embracing them as tight as they could.

"I…I'm sorry guys! Next time, we'll win! We'll beat the Cerulean Gym!"

"You challenged the gym?" a voice asked. Jaune and a teary eyed Azul turned around. The voice came from a girl, only a few years older than them. Her red hair was pulled into a ponytail on the side. She wore a yellow, sleeveless top. Her red shorts were held up by a yellow belt.

Azul shook his head. "Don't remind me…"

"I know that gym really well. If you need any help training, I could give you a few tips," the girl stated with a smile. "My name is Misty."

"How do you know the gym so well?" Jaune asked.

Misty sighed. "Let's just say that I'm close to the gym leaders…"

"Let's do it!" Azul piped up. "Training, I mean. I want to get stronger. And if you say that you can help me, then who am I to say no?"

"Great! Then let's get started!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN Sorry for the extended rate! The next chapter will come sooner. At least...I hope!**

**Love ya! JohtoBlue**


	16. Nugget Bridge Challenge!

**Azul's Pokemon**

**Cherry (Bulbasaur) (Female) - Ab: Overgrow - Moves: Take Down, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Leech Seed - Level 24**

**Nidoran (Male) - Ab: Poison Point - Moves: Poison Sting, Horn Attack, Focus Energy, and Double Kick - Level 22**

**Spearow (Female) - Ab: Keen Eye - Moves: Peck, Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, Pursuit, - Level 22**

**Pichu (Male) - Ab: Static - Moves: Volt Tackle, Thunderpunch, Thundershock, and Quick Attack - Level 24**

**Magikarp (Unknown) - Ab: Swift Swim - Moves: Splash and Tackle - Level 21**

**Sarah (Paras) (Female) - Ab: Effect Spore - Moves: Cut, Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, and Leech Life - Level 21**

* * *

><p>After a day's training with Misty, the sun was beginning to set. Misty had trained Azul around the water, battling many different water-type Pokémon. None were as strong as Daisy's, though. After that, she had him challenge Nugget Bridge.<p>

"My name is Aven Peirce, and I'll be your last challenge for Nugget Bridge!" a boy cried out happily. His dirty blonde hair swayed with the wind, following over his eyes. Under a crimson red jacket, he wore a bright white shirt. Fastened up by a red belt were black, baggy pants.

"Didn't Lilla say that these guys were easy?" Azul wondered, looking at his worn out Pokémon. "This was not what I was expecting."

Aven winked. "You ready for this? Maybe after our battle, me and you can go on a date?"

Azul blushed. "What?! Do you think I'm a girl?!"

There was silence.

"Sometimes, even I forget, Azul," Jaune stated.

"That's it! I'm going to crush you!" Azul snapped. He pointed out. "Sarah, let's kick it!"

Paras jumped out, slashing her claws.

"Paras, eh? This'll be easy! C'mon out, Clefairy!" Aven said, tossing a Poké Ball into the air.

A light pink, chubby Pokémon appeared. Its tail curved into his body, rocking from side to side as the Pokémon danced.

"Clefairy, the Fairy Pokémon. Its magical and cute appeal has many admirers. It is rare and found only in certain areas. Level is 20, and known moves are Double Slap, Sing, Metronome, and Minimize," Azul's Pokédex chimed.

"You better watch out, Azul! This Pokémon is going to be an awful lot like the Jigglypuff that I tried to capture!" Jaune warned.

Azul nodded. "So, I need to watch out for his Sing…"

"Double Slap!" Aven ordered. Clefairy bounced into the air, smiling as she swung her hand at Sarah.

"Dodge! Then use Stun Spore!" Azul called. As soon as Clefairy landed, Paras jumped back, yellow spores releasing off of her body. The spores fell onto Clefairy, paralyzing her immediately.

"Try Cut, Sarah!" Azul called. She dashed forward, slicing her claw at Clefairy. The fairy Pokémon was easily knocked back, falling on her side.

"Keep it up! One more Cut!"

"Minimize!" Aven ordered. Before Sarah could come into contact, Clefairy shrunk, avoiding the attack.

"Metronome!" Moving her hands back and forth, Clefairy started to charge an attack. She jumped back, fire bellowing from her mouth. The fire overtook, Paras, burning her.

"What was that?!" Azul screamed.

"That was Metronome. It picks any Pokémon move at random and uses it," Misty informed him.

"Be careful!" Azul warned his Pokémon. "We'll get some health back! Leech Life!" Jumping forward, Paras stuck her claw into Clefairy, sapping away her energy. Clefairy slumped to the ground, and Azul took his opportunity.

"Finish this with Cut!" Sarah swung around, slicing at the pink Pokémon. Clefairy fell over, closing her eyes and fainting.

"That takes me down one Pokémon," Aven commented, returning his Pokémon. "But I still got two more! It's all you, Oddish!"

"Oddish, the Weed Pokémon. During the day, it keeps its face buried in the ground. At night, it wanders around sowing its seeds. Level is 19, and known moves are Sleep Powder, Absorb, Stun Spore, and PoisonPowder."

"That's an…_odd_ Pokémon," Azul said, laughing at his own joke. Jaune smacked her forehead and looked away.

"We'll attack first!" Aven yelled. "Use Absorb!" Oddish nodded, jumping into the air and sending energy at Paras. The attack collided, instantly sapping away Paras' energy. She dropped down, heaving hard.

"Cut, Sarah!" Azul ordered. Paras nodded, lunging forward. She swung her claw at Oddish, but she was easily able to dodge. Paras stopped moving, having to take a deep breath.

"Now, toss her!" Oddish dashed forward and stuck her head under Sarah. With a quick heave, she tossed the bug-type into the air. Sarah landed in a heap on the ground.

"Dang…" Azul mumbled, returning his Pokémon. "I'll put my faith in you, Magikarp!"

Magikarp blew out of its Poké Ball, preparing to battle to the best of its splashy abilities.

"That's unimpressive…" Aven mumbled.

Jaune sighed. "I'm used to it…"

"Oddish, use Absorb!" Oddish nodded, flinging her small body forward. She wrapped one of her long leaves around Magikarp, sucking away its energy.

"Splash, Magikarp!" Azul screeched. Magikarp flung its body around, smacking its tail into Oddish. He was able to move out of Oddish's grip, moving to the side and preparing to attack.

"Tackle!" he ordered. Magikarp nodded, lunging forward. He collided into Oddish, tossing the Pokémon back. "Keep it up! One more Tackle!" With one more lunge, Magikarp moved forward. Oddish was hit back, purple pores flying off with her. The pores landed onto Magikarp, making it scream out in pain.

"Magikarp? Are you okay, girl?" Azul wondered.

"Awesome!" Aven yelled out. "I love it when you do PoisonPowder by yourself!"

"Be careful, Azul! Magikarp will start losing health faster!" Jaune warned.

"I know that!" Azul snapped. "Can you keep going, Magikarp?"

"Karp…" his Pokémon huffed.

"Then we'll end this!" Aven called. "Absorb!" Oddish nodded, sending out her energy once more.

"Power through it! Let's use Tackle, full power!" Azul commanded. Magikarp, using all of its power, darted forward. It fought through the green energy, smashing into Oddish. It wasn't very affected, the water-type falling limp.

"No! Magikarp!" Azul screamed.

"That's two down for you. It looks like I'm going to win this!" Aven bragged.

Azul gritted his teeth and returned his Pokémon. He looked back at his Pokémon, noticing how much they were worn out from their last battles. He had to think hard on his next decision. They had to battle through not one, but two different Pokémon.

Before Azul could decide, Pichu stepped forward. He popped his neck, glaring at Oddish.

"You want to battle, Pichu?" Azul asked. Pichu spit on the ground, darting onto the small battlefield. "Awesome then let's start with a Thunder—" Before he could finish, Pichu dashed forward, his paw crackling with electricity. He swung, smashing it into Oddish. "Punch!" Azul yelled, hoping not to embarrass himself.

"Absorb!" Aven cried. Oddish obeyed, releasing her attack. The attack sapped into Pichu, but didn't work as well as Aven had hoped. Pichu dashed, twisting his body. His tail started to glow, and he smashed it into Oddish. She was tossed to the side, struggling to find her footing once more.

"What was that?" Azul wondered.

"Iron Tail… I'm surprised Pichu was able to learn it by itself," Misty commented.

"Pichu is amazing…"

Before Azul could give Pichu his command, the Pokémon darted forward, his body cloaked with electric energy. Seconds before he could collide with Oddish, the grass-type released several yellow pores into the air. There was an explosion, and both Pokémon were cloaked. When the smoke cleared, Pichu was the only Pokémon who stood. But he struggled to move.

Aven returned Oddish. "At least I could get a Stun Spore in before Oddish fainted. You did a good job."

"What do you think of Pichu?" Azul asked. "Pretty strong, huh?"

Aven nodded. "Yeah. Too bad you don't have any control over him. But even with that strength, he stands no chance against my next Pokémon." He winked, tossing out his next Poké Ball. His new Pokémon sat on the ground, appearing to be asleep.

"Abra, the Psi Pokémon. Using its ability to read minds, it will sense impending danger and teleport to safety. Level is 21, and known moves are ThunderPunch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Teleport."

"So, that's an Abra…" Azul noted.

"This battle is going to be intense," Jaune opined. "Pichu is easily Azul's strongest Pokémon, and Abra's move set could prove a big problem for him."

"We'll see…" Misty mumbled.

Pichu stepped forward, readying his next attack. But before he could start, Azul chimed in.

"Use Quick Attack!" Azul ordered. Pichu glared at him, not wanting to do what his trainer said. But he had planned to use Quick Attack anyways. He sighed, bounding forward anyways.

"Teleport!" Without any movement, Abra disappeared. Pichu tried to stop, skidding against the bridge, looking around frantically. Abra emerged behind him, a wicked smile on his face.

"Watch out!" Azul warned.

Pichu tried to turn around, but the pores on his body stopped him.

"Fire Punch!" Abra cocked his head to the side and lifted his arm. Flames blew out of his fist as he pounded it against Pichu's cheek. The electric-type flew across the bridge, landing near the edge.

"You got this, Pichu! Keep using Quick Attack!" Azul ordered. Pichu glanced over at him, rubbing his cheek. "Trust me… You can shock me all you want later. But I need you to trust me right now." Pichu nodded. He stood back up and darted to Abra.

Without needing a command, Abra disappeared and reappeared behind Pichu.

"Ice Punch!"

"Flip and use Iron Tail!" Azul screamed. Pichu took in a deep breath, and started his attack. He flipped forward, the iron hard tail destroying Abra's attack, stunning the Pokémon.

Azul laughed. "ThunderPunch!" Pichu turned around, smashing his fist into Abra's chest. The Pokémon was flung back, but stopped himself by floating in the air.

"Keep up the pace! Use Volt Tackle!" Azul ordered. Pichu shook his head, and instead of charging forward, he released electricity from his body. The electricity zapped Abra, making him fall to the ground.

"Abra!" Aven called. He grew worried with every attack.

Sooner than Azul could say anything, Pichu bounded forward, sparks blowing from his body. A second before he came into contact, Abra disappeared. He reappeared above Pichu, his fists on fire. He swung, jackhammering Pichu into the ground.

"Pichu!" Azul cried.

"Awesome, Abra!" Aven said. "Finish this with an Ice Punch!" Abra slowly lifted his arm into the air, slowly letting it become shrouded in ice. Pichu turned around slowly, watching as his fate slowly became closer to sealed.

"Trust in me, Pichu!" Azul cried out. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pichu gritted his teeth and let loose the bolts. They were sent into Abra's body, making him float away, dropping his ice covered hand.

"Yay, Pichu!" Jaune cheered.

"Pichibu!" Chiboo responded, barely hanging onto her trainer's shoulder.

"Finish this with Iron Tail!" Azul ordered. Pichu twisted his body in the air, slamming his hard, iron tail into Abra's skull. Abra flew back, landing at Aven's feet.

Aven sighed, looking at his fainted Pokémon. "I guess it is over…"

"Pichu!" Azul's Pokémon roared before falling to the ground.

Azul ran forward, picking up his fallen Pokémon. "You did awesome, Pichu!" The Pokémon responded by folding his arms and looking away. He spat at the ground and pointed at his Poké Ball. Azul nodded, returning the tough Pokémon to its hideaway.

"You were awesome, Azul!" Aven said, carrying his worn out Pokémon in his arms. "Kind of…cute how you don't have control over Pichu."

Azul gave him a look of disgust. "You do know I'm a boy, right?"

"Well, Azul! I didn't think that you could have beaten them all, but you did!" Misty chimed in, trying to break the awkwardness. "I really do have faith in your battling skills now."

"Yeah! You did really awesome!" Jaune added.

The sun had set, and the four trainers set up a campfire. Aven shared stories of his different Nugget Bridge experiences, while Azul and Jaune retold what has happened on their journey so far.

"What about you, Misty?" Jaune asked. She fed a small cracker to her dwarf Pikachu.

"To keep it really simple, I've been traveling for awhile now. I need to try to find myself. And once I feel that I'm ready, I'll be taking over the Cerulean Gym," she explained.

"Whoa!" Azul gasped. "That's amazing! Have you returned to take your gym now?"

Misty shook her head. "No. Not yet. I still have a lot more to learn. And I don't know if I'm yet ready to have that many responsibilities."

"Being a Gym Leader would be awesome!" Aven exclaimed. "Imagine all of the battles that you'd get to do! And there would be so many people that travel from all over, just to battle with you! You'd be really special!"

"Sounds like fun!" Azul laughed.

They all laughed and fed their Pokémon. After some silence, Misty finally spoke up.

"So, Azul, what are you on your journey for? Jaune is traveling with you to meet and befriend as many Pokémon as possible," Misty said. "What is your end goal?"

Azul thought on it for a moment and looked up into the sky. "Honestly, I don't know yet. I would love to take on all of the gyms and beat the Indigo League. But that's a really hard goal. And even if, somehow, I was able to do it, what would I do next?" He pulled Cherry onto his lap and smiled. "I guess I'll just have to go where the wind takes me!"

"That's an awesome plan, Azul!" Aven exclaimed. "I'll make sure to watch the Indigo League, and if you're in it, I'll cheer for you real hard!"

"Was that dirty?" Azul wondered aloud.

"Well, whatever your dreams are, I know that you can accomplish them," Misty interjected. "You just have to work hard like you did today."

* * *

><p><strong>AN And, another post! Woo! Next week, new X 46 and Hazel chapters! So, be looking out for that! What'd you think of the chapter? Azul getting in some nice training and meeting a... different person.**

**Q1) What was your thoughts of Aven? (Thanks to Mattii16 for the OC!)**

**Q2) Predictions for Bill's house?**

**Q3) Do you think Pichu is finally warming up to Azul? Well, you're wrong!**


	17. Chapter 17: DO NOT REVIEW PEOPLE!

Hello one and all. Pokestets here!

Johto is moving and trying to get settled into college life. He IS NOT by any means dead (you'll get it if you follow my stories and saw his nice little note on my stories when I was out LOL).

Do not fret. He will be back in a few weeks when his life is getting back to normal.

P.S- I did not hack or anything. We're just like best-fanfction-friends (and bestfriends in reality), so he allowed me to post this for him!

Go by and say hi to me and my stories why don't ya:)

Sorry for rambling...

PEACE!

Pokestets23


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